The Leather Plater, 299 



be able to hold her own among any company. Her hair was simply 

 parted on each side of her temples, and plaited behind in a long, 

 thin braid, which reached nearly down to her waist. A little bunch 

 of snowdrops was carelessly stuck in on one side of her temples, as 

 if by their pure white contrast to set off the deep purple gloss of 

 her hair. She was dressed in a plain black silk dress, the bodice of 

 which fitted tightly over a magnificent bust, that any sculptor might 

 have longed to model 3 and a kind of small black velvet mantilla 

 was thrown loosely over beautiful shoulders. 



A horsey old friend of ours used to observe that if he was in the 

 habit of buying women, as he did his horses, and was not quite cer- 

 tain about their pedigrees, he should look only for three points, 

 which would be certain to indicate their breeding — the ear, the 

 ankle, and the hand. He did not put the least faith in the face, 

 for, as he said, you just as often saw a pretty face on a dairy-maid 

 as a duchess ; but the small ear, the long tapering hand, and the 

 clean, well-turned ankle, ^^^ere only to be met with among the 

 "high-bred ones." These three points were perfection in Annie 

 Radford, for I criticised them all pretty closely when she returned 

 to the parlour shortly after, bringing in a tray, on which was set 

 out a very nice little lunch. The hand and ankle were both superb, 

 but they were nothing in comparison to her beautiful little ear. It 

 was so pink and transparent that it reminded one of a dehcate little 

 pink shell. I know this simile is a very stale one. but I can find 

 no better. I fancy that I have read somewhere that our great great- 

 grandmothers — who, by the way, appear t.n have been for the most 

 part arrant coquettes — were in the habit of presenting the tips of 

 their ears for their favourites to kiss. Had Annie only lived in 

 those days, how the old powdered pig-tailed beaux would have con- 

 tested for a kiss at that delicate Httle ear ! I certainly never had 

 seen that girl's equal before. As wx sat at lunch, I looked first at 

 old Radford, then at Annie : I could not see the slightest resemblance 

 between them in any one respect j and I mentally offered to lay 

 100 to 20 that old Jack Radford was no more Annie's father than 

 that he was mine. I should have won if I had laid, for not lons^ 



