The little stout man actually started, and, as he bowed, blushed up
to the eyes.

Miss Selina was, as I have stated, the beauty of the family, and had
once been an acknowledged Stowbury belle. Even now, though nigh upon
forty, when carefully and becomingly dressed, her tall figure, and
her well featured, fair complexioned, unwrinkled face, made her still
appear a very personable woman. At any rate, she was not faded
enough, nor the city magnate's heart cold enough to prevent a sudden
revival of the vision which--in what now seemed an almost
antediluvian stage of existence--had dazzled, Sunday after Sunday,
the eyes of the grocer's lad. If there is one pure spot in a man's
heart--oven the very worldliest of men--it is usually his boyish
first love.

So Peter Ascott looked hard at Miss Selina, then into his hat, then,
as good luck would have it, out of the window, where he caught sight
of his carriage and horses. These revived his spirits, and made him
recognize what he was--Mr. Ascott, of Russell Square, addressing
himself in the character of a benevolent patron to the Leaf family.

"Glad to see you, Miss. Long time since we met--neither of us so
young as we have been--but you do wear well, I must say."

Miss Selina drew back; she was within an inch of being highly
offended, when she too happened to catch a glimpse of the carriage
and horses. So she sat down and entered into conversation with him;
and when she liked, nobody could be more polite and agreeable than
Miss Selina. So it happened that the handsome equipage crawled round