The young girl’s cheeks glowed hotly, but she had not a word to say in reply to those sentiments. But she knew that the events of that day had glorified the whole world for her, and all the way home she had been weaving golden plans for the future, when Archie—it came easier every time now—should take her to his simple home over the water—for of course it must be simple, since he was only an artist—and which she would make just as bright and beautiful as love and taste could make it. CHAPTER XVI. A GREAT SHOCK. The next morning, on descending to her breakfast, Star found the whole house in a state of great excitement. On asking Mrs. Blunt the meaning of it, that good but evidently much disturbed woman informed her that a “real live English lord was expected to arrive the following day, and Mrs. Richards had given orders that everything be done up in the grandest style possible.” “A lord?” Star said, smiling—she had seen many a lord, and had not been very crushingly impressed with a sense of her own inferiority and insignificance in consequence—“a lord, Mrs. Blunt?” she repeated, laughing. “You will find him simply a man, very much like the rest of mankind. He will eat, and sleep, and talk, and walk exactly like anybody else. But what may his lordship’s name be, and what brings him here?” she concluded, with some curiosity. “Lor’, Miss Star, you take it pretty coolly, or I’m much mistaken,” Mrs. Blunt remarked, with an admiring glance at the girl’s bright face; “but I suppose it’s because you’re accustomed to seeing ’em, being English yourself. But a lord is considered some pumpkins on this side of the water—at least, madam appears to think so, since he was courting Miss Josephine all the time down at Long Branch, and she hopes to have him for a son-in-law one of these fine days.” Star looked surprised at this bit of information. Mrs. Richards and Josephine had been home a week, and she had heard nothing of this before, although the subject had been pretty thoroughly discussed among the servants of the household. But she had been so intent upon her studies and music, going from home so early and returning so late, and keeping her own room so much, that it was nothing strange. “Is Miss Josephine engaged to him?” she asked. “Couldn’t say positive, Miss Star, as to that; but if she ain’t, she’s expecting to be, and doing her prettiest to catch him, or I’m much mistaken. She’s talked of nothing else since she got home; and the beautiful dresses she’s bought, and the grand things she’s been planning to do when he comes, would fill a book if rightly writ up. It’s a mystery to me how anybody so grand and mighty can walk on two legs like the rest of us common mortals,” she concluded, with grim humor. Star laughed merrily. Evidently Mrs. Blunt, as a loyal subject of a democratic country, did not look forward to the advent of this young sprig of nobility with very much relish.