“Hush! my dear,” exclaimed Mrs. Matson, putting her finger to her lip: “we really must not pull people to pieces in this way. At the same time I candidly confess that it is annoying to find so many low persons at the very watering-place which we chose for the summer. I don’t wish to be severe upon any body; but if Mr. Thompson, who is known to be a retired draper, will allow people to address their letters to him as Thomas Thompson, Esquire, he must expect to be talked about.”
“And then those Miss Thompsons who give themselves such airs!” cried the eldest Miss Matson, with an indignant gesture.
“I am sure they made quite frights of themselves last Sunday at church,” added Miss Julia, “with their dresses after the latest Parisian fashion!”
“Besides, pink bonnets don’t at all become their dark complexions,” observed Miss Anna-Maria.
“Ladies must have very good complexions indeed, for pink bonnets to suit them,” drawled forth Captain Phinnikin, smiling languidly at the same time;—for the three Misses Matson all wore bonnets of a roseate hue—a fact which they appeared to have entirely forgotten while speaking of the Misses Thompson.
At this moment, Lieutenant Pink uttered an ejaculation of surprise; and the rest of the group, turning their eyes in the same direction in which his were bent, beheld a very handsome young gentleman to whose arm hung a young lady of marvellous beauty.
“They are strangers here,” observed Miss Matson the elder.
“New-comers,” continued Miss Julia.
“But nothing very particular, I dare say,” added Miss Anna-Maria.
And having thus expressed themselves, the three sisters turned towards the officers; but they were much piqued and annoyed to find that those two gallant gentlemen were still surveying the attractive couple with the deepest interest.