140 The Real Charlotte. 



Dorcas Society sleeve to me, and I should not be surprised 

 if you could help me with the acrostic." 



Lady Dysart considered herself to be, before all things, a 

 diplomatist. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



Dinner was over. Gorman was regaling his fellows in the 

 servants' hall with an account of how Miss Fitzpatrick had 

 eaten her curry with a knife and fork, and her Scotch wood- 

 cock with a spoon, and how she had accepted every variety 

 of wine that he had offered her, and taken only a mouthful 

 of each, an eccentricity of which William was even now 

 reaping the benefit in the pantry. Mrs. Brady, the cook, 

 dared say that by all accounts it was the first time the poor 

 child had seen a bit served the way it would be fit to put 

 into a Christian's mouth, and, indeed, it was little she'd 

 learn of behaviour or dinners from Miss Mullen, except to 

 make up messes for them dirty cats — a remark which ob- 

 tained great acceptance from her audiencef Mr. Gorman 

 then gave it as his opinion that Miss Fitzpatrick was as fine 

 a girl as you'd meet between this and Dublin, and if he was 

 Mr. Christopher, he'd prefer her to Miss Hope-Drummond, 

 even though the latter might be hung down with diamonds. 

 The object of this criticism was meantime congratulating 

 herself that she had accomplished the last and most dreaded 

 of the day's ceremonies, and, so far as she knew, had gone 

 through it without disaster. She certainly felt as if she 

 never had eaten so much in her life, and she thought to 

 herself that, taking into consideration the mental anxiety 

 and the loss of time involved in the consumption of one of 

 these grand dinners, she infinitely preferred the tea and 

 poached eggs which formed her ordinary repast. Pamela 

 was at the piano, looking a long way off in the dim pink 

 light of the shaded room, and was playing such strange 

 music as Francie had never heard before, and secretly hoped 

 never to hear again. She had always believed herself to be 

 extremely fond of music, and was wont to feel very senti- 

 mental when she and one of that tribe whom it is to be 

 feared she spoke of as her " fellows," sat on the rocks at the 



