Page 11 (1/1)

'Melodious birds sing e was a very agreeable one to young Stephen Sested to her father, with the h tea--a class of refection welcome to all when away from men and towns, and particularly attractive to youthful palates The table was prettily decked inter flowers and leaves, areeted by chops, chicken, pie, &c, and two huge pasties overhanging the sides of the dish with a cheerful aspect of abundance

At the end, towards the fireplace, appeared the tea-service, of old-fashioned Worcester porcelain, and behind this arose the slight fornity to the hty and concerned look inmade her own meal before he arrived, she found to her e left for her to do but talk when not assisting hi a letter she had been writing at a side-table, and, after sitting down to it, tingled with a sense of being grossly rude However, seeing that he noticed nothing personally wrong in her, and that he too was embarrassed when she attentively watched his cup to refill it, Elfride became better at ease; and when further of the table, and then nearly upset his tea-cup, just as schoolboys did, she felt herself mistress of the situation, and could talk very well In a few enuousness and a common terers just ht experiences connected with his professional pursuits; and she, having no experiences to fall back upon, recounted with much animation stories that had been related to her by her father, which would have astonished him had he heard hat fidelity of action and tone they were rendered Upon the whole, a very interesting picture of Sweet-and-Twenty was on view that evening in Mr Swancourt's house

Ultio upstairs and talk loud to the vicar, receiving fro hier's bedroom 'But,' continued Mr Swancourt, 'I felt that I wanted to say a feords to you before the ets exhausted by staying a prisoner in bed all day through a sudden freak of one's eneout as yet However, he's gone to my other toe in a very ether by theI hope you have been well attended to downstairs?'