Why,  Lucy,  you  ought  to  know  how  my  heart  yearns  for
nature  and  truth;  I  am  sure  I  have  told  you  so  often
enough.  An  hour  spent  with  a  simple,  natural  creature,
like  Captain  Dodd,  refreshes  me  as  a  cooling  breeze  after
the  heat  and  odors  of  a  crowded  room."

"  Miss  Dodd  is  very  natural,  too,  is  she  not  ?  "

"  Very.  Pertness  and  vulgarity  are  natural  enough  —
to  some  people."

"  My  uncle  likes  her  the  best  of  the  two."

"  Then  your  uncle  is  mad.  But  the  fact  is,  men  are  no
judges  in  such  cases;  they  are  always  unjust  to  their
own  sex,  and  as  blind  to  the  faults  of  ours  as  beetles."

"  But  surely,  aunt,  she  is  very  arch  and  lively."

"  Pert  and  fussy,  you  mean."

"  Pretty,  at  all  events  —  rather  ?  "

"  What,  with  that  snub  nose  ?  "

Lucy  offered  to  invite  other  neighbors.  Mrs.  Bazal-
gette  replied  she  didn't  want  to  be  bothered  with  rurality.
"You  can  ask  Captain  Dodd,  if  you  like;  there  is  no
need  to  invite  the  sister."

"  Oh,  yes,  I  must ;  my  uncle  likes  her  the  best."

"  But  /  don't ;  and  I  am  only  here  for  a  day  or  two."

"  Miss  Dodd  would  be  hurt.  It  would  be  unkind,  dis-
courteous."

"  No,  no.  She  watches  him  all  the  time  like  a  little
dragon."

"Aprh?  We  have  no  sinister  designs  on  Mr.  Dodd,
have  we  ?  "  and  something  unusually  keen  flashed  upon.
Aunt  Bazalgette  out  of  the  tail  of  the  quiet  Lucy's  eye.
