The birds have gone to bed, and the slugs come out to walk on the damp garden paths. Now and then a little wind gets up, whispers a word or two to the polished laurel leaves, and lies down again. There is a carpet of thin, smoke-grey clouds over heaven's blue floor. The two girls are strolling up and down the terrace walk. Esther has got a red cloak thrown about her shoulders; she is not in the least afraid of taking cold, and declined the offer of it in the first instance; but on second thoughts, reflecting that the dining-room windows look on the terrace, and that the fairy prince may see and like the combination of black eyes and red cloth (fairy princes being always partial to gay colours), accepted it. I have called Esther "little," and Miss Blessington "large" but the truth is they are much of a height. The difference between them is, that one is a young, slight sapling that has been so busy shooting up skywards, that it has had no leisure to grow broad, and that the other is a full-grown, spreading, stately forest tree. And yet they are the same age; but some women develop, mind and body, much quicker than others. From the unshuttered dining-room windows comes a great square of yellow lamplight, and lies smooth upon the gravel. Looking in you see rifled fruit dishes, half-filled wine-glasses, moths flying round and round the lamp globes, trying their best to find an entrance to fiery death. Sir Thomas, in his red velvet easy chair, with his white duck legs stretched out before him--duck trousers and a blue coat and brass buttons are, I need hardly say, the fine old English gentleman's dinner costume--with his head thrown back, till you can see either up into his brains or down his throat, whichever you choose. St. John, with his elbow resting on the shining oak table, which reflects it as a mirror would, and his head on his hand, in a brown study. "Do you always walk up and down here, Miss Blessington?" inquires Esther, who is getting rather tired of pacing along, along, along monotonously, with her gown sweeping a little avalanche of pebbles behind her. "Generally" (with a pretty smile). Miss Blessington has a very pretty smile--an "angelic smile"--people say who see her only once; but it is only one, and is aired every hour of the day--comes out for Sir Thomas, for Lady Gerard, for servants, for dogs, for callers, for old almswomen, for St. John--so that none can take it personally, can they? "By yourself?" "Not generally." The pretty smile is dashed with a faint complacency. ("H'm! That means with St. John-- "'Walking in a shady grove With my Juliana.' "Pleasant look-out for me! A bad third! What a pity that Bob is not here! we should be a _partie carrée_, and might change partners every now and then; Miss Blessington should have Bob, and I would have St. John!")