But her kind eyes, resting with obvious pride on the dainty figure beside her, belied the severity of her words.
"Yes," replied Ursula decisively, "bad ones!—not such beautiful verses as these."
Then she went on with her conjectures.
"And there's my lord of Everingham, and the Marquis of Taunton, and——"
"His Grace of Wessex," suggested Alicia archly, despite the Duchess's warning frown.
"Alas, no!" sighed Ursula, "for he has never been allowed to see me."
"Ursula!" came in ever-recurring feeble protests from the old dowager.
But the young girl was wholly unabashed.
"But he will see me—before to-night," she said.
The others exchanged significant glances.