"If we are to take Lucia Gaston as a model," he said, "Lucia Gaston would possibly not have been so complaisant in her demeanor toward our clerical friend." "Complaisant!" she exclaimed, opening her lovely eyes. "When I was actually plunging about the garden, trying to teach him to play. Well, I shouldn't call that being complaisant." "Lucia Gaston," he replied, "would not say that she had been 'plunging' about the garden." She gave herself a moment for reflection. "That's true," she remarked, when it was over: "she wouldn't. When I compare myself with the Slowbridge girls, I begin to think I must say some pretty awful things." Barold made no reply, which caused her to laugh a little again. "You daren't tell me," she said. "Now, do I? Well, I don't think I want to know very particularly. What Lady Theobald thinks will last quite a good while. Complaisant!" "I am sorry you object to the word," he said. "Oh, I don't!" she answered. "I like it. It sounds so much more polite than to say I was flirting and being fast." "Were you flirting?" he inquired coldly. He objected to her ready serenity very much. She looked a little puzzled. "You are very like aunt Belinda," she said. He drew himself up. He did not think there was any point of resemblance at all between Miss Belinda and himself. She went on, without observing his movement. "You think every thing means something, or is of some importance. You said that just as aunt Belinda says, 'What will they think?' It never occurs to me that they'll think at all. Gracious! Why should they?" "You will find they do," he said. "Well," she said, glancing at the group gathered under the laburnum-tree, "just now aunt Belinda thinks we had better go over to her; so, suppose we do it? At any rate, I found out that I was too complaisant to Mr. Poppleton." When the party separated for the afternoon, Barold took Lucia home, and Mr. Burmistone and the curate walked down the street together. Mr. Poppleton was indeed most agreeably exhilarated. His expressive little countenance beamed with delight. "What a very charming person Miss Bassett is!" he exclaimed, after they had left the gate. "What a very charming person indeed!" "Very charming," said Mr. Burmistone with much seriousness. "A prettier young person I certainly have never seen; and those wonderful gowns of hers"-- "Oh!" interrupted Mr. Poppleton, with natural confusion, "I--referred to Miss Belinda Bassett; though, really, what you say is very true. Miss Octavia Bassett--indeed--I think--in fact, Miss Octavia Bassett is _quite_, one might almost say even _more_, charming than her aunt." "Yes," admitted Mr. Burmistone; "perhaps one might. She is less ripe, it is true; but that is an objection time will remove." "There is such a delightful gayety in her manner!" said Mr. Poppleton; "such an ingenuous frankness! such a--a--such spirit! It quite carries me away with it,--quite."