Upon which, hearing the altercation, both infants set up a yell of fear and rage, and Alec, the cherub of four and a half, lay on the floor and kicked and screamed until he was black in the face. Mr. Mackintosh is too small to manage two, so one of the footmen had to come and help him to carry them up to their nursery! Oh, I would not be in his place for the world! Malcolm is becoming so funny! I suppose he is attracted by me. He makes kind of love in a priggish way whenever he gets the chance, which is not often, as Lady Katherine contrives to send one of the girls with us on all our walks, or if we are in the drawing-room she comes and sits down beside us herself. I am glad, as it would be a great bore to listen to a quantity of it. How silly of her, though! She can’t know as much about men as even I do--of course it only makes him all the more eager. It is quite an object lesson for me. I shall be impossibly difficult myself if I meet Mr. Carruthers again, as he has no mother to play these tricks for him. Lord Robert’s answer came on Saturday afternoon. It was all done through Lady Merrenden. He will be delighted to come and shoot on Tuesday--to-morrow. Oh! I am so glad--but I do wonder if I shall be able to make him understand not to say anything about having been at Branches while I was there. Such a simple thing, but Lady Katherine is so odd and particular. The party is to be a large one, nine guns--I hope some will be amusing, though I rather fear! _Tuesday night_ IT is quite late, nearly twelve o’clock, but I feel so wide awake I must write. I shall begin from the beginning, when every one arrived. They came by two trains early in the afternoon, and just at tea time, and Lord Robert was among the last lot. They are mostly the same sort as Lady Katherine, looking as good as gold; but one woman, Lady Verningham, Lady Katherine’s niece, is different, and I liked her at once. She has lovely clothes, and an exquisite figure, and her hat on the right way. She has charming manners too, but one can see she is on a duty visit. Even all this company did not altogether stop Mary Mackintosh laying down the law upon domestic--infant domestic--affairs. We all sat in the big drawing-room, and I caught Lady Verningham’s eye, and we laughed together! The first eye with a meaning in it I have seen since I left Branches. Everybody talked so agreeably, with pauses, not enjoying themselves at all, when Jean and Kirstie began about their work, and explained it, and tried to get orders, and Jessie and Maggie too, and specimens of it all had to be shown, and prices fixed. I should hate to have to beg, even for a charity. I felt quite uncomfortable for them, but they did not mind a bit, and their victims were noble over it. Our parson at Branches always got so red and nervous when he had to ask for anything; one could see he was quite a gentleman--but women are different, I suppose. I longed for tea!