It was September and one week of it gone. Rollo had ridden over to Dr. Maryland's to dinner, and the little party was just sitting down to the table, when Dr. Arthur arrived. He had been, we know, at Newport, on business of his own, where Wych Hazel and Mr. Falkirk were, and was just returned after an absence of some weeks. He was a lion, of course, as any one is in a country home who has ventured out into the great sea of the world and come home again; and his sisters could hardly serve him fast enough, or listen eagerly enough to his talk at the dinner-table. Though Prim cared most for the sound of his voice, and Mrs. Coles for what it had to tell. 'And you saw Miss Kennedy, Arthur, did you?' this latter lady asked, with a view to getting intelligence through various channels at once, keeping her ears for him and her eyes for Rollo. 'I saw Miss Kennedy.' 'How was she looking, Arthur?' said Prim. 'Not very well, I thought. That is, well according to you ladies, but not according to us doctors.' '_Not_ well?' echoed Prim in dismay; while Rollo said nothing and did not even look. 'Rather delicate, it seemed to me,' said Dr. Arthur. 'But she is coming to-morrow, Prim, so you can judge for yourself.' 'Is she as much admired as ever?' quoth Mrs. Coles, eyeing Rollo hard by stealth and not making much of him. 'More. And deserves it.' 'How does she deserve more?' said Rollo. 'I am not good at descriptions,' Dr. Arthur answered, somewhat briefly. 'I suppose she takes all she gets?' said Prudentia. 'Difficult to do anything else with it.' 'Who is her special admirer now, or the most remarkable? for she reckons them by scores.' 'All seemed to be special. One or two young Englishmen made themselves pretty prominent.' 'That Sir Henry something—was _he_ one of them? Is he there?' 'Crofton? Yes, he was there.' 'What do people say, Arthur? Who of them is going to have her?' 'People say something. And know nothing.' 'That's true—sometimes. But whom does she dance with oftenest? Did you notice?' 'I saw her dance but once, and so could not notice,' said Dr. Arthur. 'Well, what was that? and whom with? If you saw her dance only once, that might tell something.' 'No, it might not; for I never went into the ball-room. This once that I spoke of was at a private party, and the dancing was on the lawn. Crofton was her partner then.' 'Crofton was her partner! Sir Henry Crofton. Waltzing with her? Then he'll be the man, you see if he won't. Was he waltzing with her?' 'Nonsense, Prudentia!' said her sister. 'He won't be the one; and it proves nothing if she was waltzing with him. Why shouldn't she waltz with him, as well as with anybody else?' 'You'll see,' said Prudentia. 'Answer my question, Arthur. Was it a waltz?' 'A waltz they call it,' said Dr. Arthur, with considerable disgust. 'I should choose a longer name, and call it an abomination.'