"Miss Smith, if you please," corrected a prim lady with remains of faint beauty.
Mrs. Harris, however, looked most disconcerted; Lady Dove's anger had fallen especially upon her, so now she only murmured, holding out a piece of newspaper.
"We only came to see about this advertisement, because we didn't get any answer, and we were so anxious——"
"Of course, yes, it's all right." Then Toney turned to the last individual, a man who looked somewhat superior to the others, and who smiled without intermission.
"Mr.——" Toney paused, she couldn't say Smith again, but she got no answer, only a nod and another smile.
"He's stone deaf," said Miss Smith, who by her manner was trying to show Toney that a clergyman's sister is always a lady, little guessing that Toney cared for none of such things.
"He joined us," said Dr. Harris, "but his infirmity makes it difficult to converse with him, his name is, I believe, Grant—Captain Grant!"
Captain Grant smiled and nodded, and insisted on Toney's reading her own advertisement, by pointing to it line by line with his first finger.
"Yes, of course—Mr. Lang, Captain Grant," she introduced the two, and then hurriedly went to the tea-table, where Mrs. Faber was in her old position of tea-maker.
"Chum, dear, I'm plunging about in a bog; give them some tea quickly; that will be to their advantage anyhow. Mr. Lang will perhaps help me. Aunt Dove is looking awfully churny with the poor dears."