"What's his name and birth? I cannot delve him to the root."
Shakespeare.
"There is Mrs. Creery!" exclaimed Colonel Denis, starting up rather nervously. "She has come to call first. Don't keep her waiting." To Helen, who was hastily smoothing her hair and pulling out her ruffles, "You will do first-rate; go into the drawing-room, my dear."
"Yes, but not alone, papa!" taking him by the arm. "You will have to introduce us—you must come with me."
You see she had begun to say must already!—Colonel Denis was by no means reluctant to present his pearl of daughters to the visitor who had prognosticated that she would be plain, and he was sufficiently human to enjoy that lady's stare of stolid astonishment, as she took Helen's hand, and kept it in hers for quite a minute, whilst she leisurely studied her face.
"How do you do, Miss Denis? had you a good passage?"
"Very good, thank you," replied the young lady demurely.
"I see," sitting down as she spoke, and specially addressing Colonel Denis, "that you have had new curtains and purdahs put up, and have actually bought that white marble table that Kursandoss had so long on hand! How much did you give for it?"
"One hundred rupees," replied the purchaser in a guilty voice.
"Heavens and earth!" casting up hands and eyes, "did any one ever hear of such folly! It is not worth thirty. Miss Denis, it's a good thing that you have come out to look after your father—he is a most extravagant man!"