Mrs.Val was no ordinary woman, and understood well how to make the most of the goods with which the gods provided her.
The Miss Neverbends were to dine with the Tudors, and go with them to the dance in the evening, and their brother Fidus was to meet them there.

Charley was, of course, one of the party at dinner; and as there was no other gentleman there, Alaric had an excellent opportunity, when the ladies went up to their toilets, to impress on his cousin the expediency of his losing no time in securing to himself Miss Golightly's twenty thousand pounds.

The conversation, as will be seen, at last became rather animated.
'Well, Charley, what do you think of the beautiful Clementina ?' said Alaric, pushing over the bottle to his cousin, as soon as they found themselves alone.

'A 'doosed' fine girl, as Captain Val says, isn't she ?' 'A 'doosed' fine girl, of course,' said Charley, laughing.

'She has too much go in her for me, I'm afraid.' 'Marriage and children will soon pull that down.