Gerald, jealous for the honor of home, was magnificent in his descriptions, and unconscious that he was talking rhodomontade. According to him, his park took in a whole mountain, his house was quite as large and much handsomer than Mr. Lyddell's, the garden was like the hanging gardens of Babylon, and greenhouses were never wanted there, for "all sorts of things" would grow in the open air. His cousins were so amazed that they would hardly attend to Marian's explanations, and thought her description of the myrtle, which reached to the top of the house, as fabulous as his hanging gardens. "And, Marian, what do you think of this place?" asked Clara. After some pressing, the following reply was extracted:--"It is so shut in with fir-trees, but I suppose you want them to hide the town, and there is nothing to see if they were away." "O Marian!" said Caroline, "when we showed you the beautiful view over the high gate." "But there was no hill, and no wood, and no water." "Did you not see Oakworthy Hill?" "That tame green thing!" said Marian. "The truth is," said Johnny, "that she likes it the best all the time, only she won't own it." "Nonsense, Johnny," replied Lionel, "every one likes their own home best, and I like Marian for not pretending to be polite and nonsensical." "And I tell you," said Gerald, "that you never saw anything so good as my Manor house in your whole life." Here they went in, and Marian gently said to Gerald as they came into her room, "I wish you would not say _my_, Gerald, it seems like boasting. My park--my house--" Gerald hung his head, and the colour came deeply into his cheeks. "Marian," said he, "you know how I wish it wasn't mine now," and the tears were in his eyes. "But they boast over me, and they ought not, for I'm Sir--" "Oh! hush, Gerald. You used never to like to hear yourself called so, because it put you in mind--. Yes, I know they boast; but this is not the way to stop them, it only makes them go on; and what does it signify to you? it does not make this place really better than home." "Yes, but I want them to know it." "But you should not want to set yourself up above them. If you don't answer, and, let them say what nonsense they please, it would be the best way, and the right way, and so you would humble yourself, which is what we must all do Gerald." Gerald was silenced, but looked dissatisfied; however, there was no more time to talk, for Clara came to say that tea was almost ready, and Marian rang for Saunders. Gerald looked as if he was meditating when first they sat down to tea, and after some little time he abruptly began, "I don't like your church at all. It is just like a room, and nobody makes any noise." "Nobody makes any noise," repeated Caroline, smiling; "is that Fern Torr fashion?" "I do not mean exactly a noise," said Gerald, "but people read their verse of the psalm, and say Amen, and all that, quite loud. They don't leave it all to the clerk in his odd voice."