follow, but one short example of Miss Eden's methods will best illustrate my point. The whole neighbourhood is on tip-toe of expectation to see Lord Teviot, who is rumoured to be at the castle.
"It was obvious to the whole neighbourhood that the Eskdales wished to avoid observation by coming early to church, for they arrived before the end of the first lesson—a most unusual degree of punctuality; but this sign of timidity did not prevent the whole congregation from fixing their eyes intently on the tall young man who followed Lord Eskdale into church, and took a seat opposite to Lady Helen in the pew. Moreover, Lady Helen dropped her prayer-book, and the tall young man picked it up for her. Such an incident! Mrs. Thompson, as usual, missed it, because she was, unluckily, tying her little girl's bonnet-strings. When Lady Helen came out, leaning on her father's arm, and Lady Eskdale followed, attended by the tall young man, and when they had all bowed and curtsied, and got into the open carriage . . . nothing could exceed the gratification of the assembly.
"Lord Teviot was exactly what they expected, so very distinguished and so good-looking. Some thought him too attentive to his prayers for a man in love, and some thought him too attentive to Lady Helen for a man in church, but eventually the two factions joined, and thought him simply very attentive."
And then it turned out that Lord Teviot had gone up to London on Saturday, and that the "observed of all observers" was an architect come down to complete the statue gallery.
"The reaction was frightful, and, as usual in all cases of reaction, the odium fell on the wrong man. The architect, who was, in fact, an awkward, ungainly concern, remained in possession of distinguished looks . . . and it was generally asserted that Lord Teviot kept out of the way—as he was quite aware of being ill-looking; that he was not attached in the smallest degree to Lady Helen, or he would not have gone to London; and that he was very unprincipled, not to say an atheist, or he would have gone to church."
So much for Miss Eden's style. Her abounding humour is delicate but by no means bloodless, and the reader will probably agree with me that the passage of arms between Lady Portmore and Mrs. Douglas shows it mixed as richly and robustly as could be desired.
With servants she could accomplish what Miss Austen
