“Strange creature!” said Sir Langham Portland, who had joined the girls almost before they were aware; “Odd girl! If Lucifer had a sister, I should know where to find her; but a perfect siren so far as music is concerned. Did you hear her sing last night--that thing of Beethoven’s--what is the name of it? Do you like Beethoven, though? _She_, I suppose, worships him.” “We know very little about music,” said Marian. She thought it proper to make known the fact, but blushed in spite of herself, and was much ashamed of her own ignorance. Marian was quite distressed and impatient to find herself so much behind every one else. “Oh!” said Sir Langham--which meant that the handsome guardsman was a good deal flattered by the blush, and did not care at all for the want of information--in fact, he was cogitating within himself, being no great master of the art of conversation, what to speak of next. “I am afraid Miss--Rachel was not pleased,” said Agnes; “we disturbed her here. I am afraid she will think we were rude.” “Eh!” said Sir Langham, with a look of astonishment. “Oh, don’t trouble yourself--she’s accustomed to that. Pretty place this. Suppose a fellow on the island over there, what a capital sketch he could make;--with two figures instead of three, the effect would be perfect!” “We were two figures before you came,” said Marian, turning half away, and with a smile. “Ah! quite a different suggestion,” said Sir Langham. “Your two figures were all white and angelical--maiden meditation--mine would be--Elysium. Happy sketcher! happier hero!--and you could not suppose a more appropriate scene.” But Agnes and Marian were much too shy and timid to answer this as they might have answered Harry Oswald under the same circumstances. Agnes half interrupted him, being somewhat in haste to change the conversation. “You are an artist yourself?” said Agnes. “No,” said Sir Langham; “not at all,--no more than everybody else is. I have no doubt you know a hundred people better at it than I.” “I do not think, counting every one,” said Marian, “that we know a hundred, or the half of a hundred, people altogether; and none of them make sketches. Mrs Edgerley said yours were quite remarkable.” “A great many things are quite remarkable with Mrs Edgerley,” said Sir Langham through his mustache. “But what an amazing circle yours must be! One must do something with one’s spare time. That old fellow is the hardest rascal to kill of any I know--don’t you find him so?” “No--not when we are at home,” said Marian. “Ah! in the country, I suppose; and you are Lady Bountifuls, and attend to all the village,” said Sir Langham. He had quite made up his mind that these young girls, who were not fashionable nor remarkable in any way, save for the wonderful beauty of the youngest, were daughters of some squire in Banburyshire, whom it was Lord Winterbourne’s interest to do a service to.