an underlying sense--their consolation in adversity--that they HAD
their points. They certainly had; but these advantages struck me
as preponderantly social; such for instance as would help to make a
drawing-room look well. However, a drawing-room was always, or
ought to be, a picture.

In consequence of his wife's allusion to their age Major Monarch
observed: "Naturally it's more for the figure that we thought of
going in. We can still hold ourselves up." On the instant I saw
that the figure was indeed their strong point. His "naturally"
didn't sound vain, but it lighted up the question. "SHE has the
best one," he continued, nodding at his wife with a pleasant after-
dinner absence of circumlocution. I could only reply, as if we
were in fact sitting over our wine, that this didn't prevent his
own from being very good; which led him in turn to make answer:
"We thought that if you ever have to do people like us we might be
something like it. SHE particularly--for a lady in a book, you
know."

I was so amused by them that, to get more of it, I did my best to
take their point of view; and though it was an embarrassment to
find myself appraising physically, as if they were animals on hire
or useful blacks, a pair whom I should have expected to meet only
in one of the relations in which criticism is tacit, I looked at
Mrs. Monarch judicially enough to be able to exclaim after a moment
with conviction: "Oh yes, a lady in a book!" She was singularly
like a bad illustration.

"We'll stand up, if you like," said the Major; and he raised
himself before me with a really grand air.