"But are they poor?--they don't look so. What on earth can it mean?" he asked, in a perplexed voice; but Mattie only shook her head, and went on: "We must find out all about them by and by. They are worth knowing, I am sure of that. Poor?--well, they cannot be rich, certainly, to live in the Friary; but they are gentle-people, one can see that in a moment." "Of course! who doubted it?" was the somewhat impatient answer. "Well, but that is not all," went on Mattie, too delighted with her brother's interest to try to curtail her story. "Of course I could not stand long watching them, so I did my errand and came away; and then I met Miss Middleton, and we walked down to the Library together to change those books. Miss Milner was talking to some ladies when we first went in and, as Miss Masham was not in the shop, we had to wait our turn, so I had a good look at them. The elder one was such a pretty, aristocratic-looking woman,--a little too languid, perhaps for my taste; and the younger one was a little like Isabel, only nicer-looking. I shouldn't have stared at them so much,--at least, I am afraid I stared," went on Mattie, forgetting for the moment how often she had been taken to task for this very thing,--"but something Miss Milner said attracted my attention, 'I am not to send it to the Friary, then, ma'am?' 'Well, no,' the lady returned, rather hesitatingly. She had such a nice voice and manner, Archie. 'My youngest daughter and I are at Beach House at present; I am rather an invalid, and the bustle would be too much for me. Dulce, we had better have these things sent to Beach House.' And then the young lady standing by her said, 'Oh, yes, mother; we shall want them this evening.' And then they went out." "There is a third sister, then?" observed Archie, not pretending to disguise his interest in Mattie's recital.