appearance of almost marble immobility, save when, in
moments of oft recurring abstraction, a slight but marked
contraction of the brow betrayed the existence of a
feeling, indefinable indeed by the observer, but certainly
unallied to softness. Still was she beautiful--coldly,
classically, beautiful--eminently calculated to inspire
passion, but seemingly incapable of feeling it.

The coldness of Miss Montgomerie's manner was no less
remarkable. Her whole demeanour was one of abstraction.
It seemed as if heedless, not only of ceremony, but of
courtesy, her thoughts and feelings were far from the
board of whose hospitality she was partaking. Indeed,
the very few remarks she made during dinner referred to
the period of departure of the boat, in which she was to
be conveyed to Detroit, and on this subject she displayed
an earnestness, which, even Grantham thought, might have
been suppressed in the presence of his uncle's family.
Perhaps he felt piqued at her readiness to leave him.

Under these circumstances, the dinner was not, as might
be expected, particularly gay. There was an 'embarras'
among all, which even the circulating wine did not wholly
remove. Major Montgomerie was nearly as silent as his
niece. Mrs. D'Egville, although evincing all the kindness
of her really benevolent nature--a task in which she was
assisted by her amiable daughters, still felt that the
reserve of her guest insensibly produced a corresponding
effect upon herself, while Colonel D'Egville, gay,
polished, and attentive, as he usually was, could not