Her eyes had
brightened, the cloudy brown of her cheeks was enlivened, she held
herself better, and the less childish dress was much to her
advantage. But above all, the moody look of suffering was gone, and
her face had something of the grave sweetness and regular beauty of
that of her father.
'Seventeen,' said Mrs. Ferrars; 'by the time she is seventy, she may
be a remarkably handsome woman!'
The tea-drinking was in lively operation, when after a thundering
knock, Mr. Cavendish Dusautoy was ushered in, with the air of a
prince honouring the banquet of his vassals, saying, 'I told Kendal I
should presume on your hospitality, I beg you will make no difference
on my account.'
Of which gracious permission Albinia was resolved to avail herself.
She left all the insincerity to her husband, and would by no means
allow grandmamma to abdicate the warm corner. She suspected that he
wanted an introduction to Mrs. Nugent, and was resolved to defeat
this object, unless he should condescend to make the request, so she
was well satisfied to see him wedged in between papa and Sophy, while
a prodigious quantity of Irish talk was going on between Mrs. Nugent
and Mr. O'More, with contributions of satire from Mr. Ferrars which
kept every one laughing except little Nora Nugent and Mary Ferrars,
who were deep in the preliminaries of an eternal friendship, and held
the ends of each other's crackers like a pair of doves.
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