"I dare say he met Alice and Miss Brereton, then," said Mrs. Ormonde; "they were riding in that direction."
"Lady Alice will be taken care of, then," said Katherine, and taking her hat she went away, seeing that Mrs. Ormonde was quite ready to absorb the conversation.
"So that is Katherine Liddell," said De Burgh, looking after her, regardless of Mrs. Ormonde's declaration that she was going to scold him.
"Yes. Is she not like what you expected?"
"Expected? I did not expect anything; but she isn't a bit like what you described."
"How so? Did I say too much?"
"Yes, a great deal too much, but the wrong way."
"What do you mean?"
"Why, you talked as if she was a regular gushing school-girl, ready to swallow any double-barrelled compliment one chose to offer, whereas she is a finely developed woman, by Jove! with brains too, or I am much mistaken. Why, my charming little friend, she is older in some ways than you are."
"Oh, nonsense. You need not flatter me."