She gave fair promise to be at any rate equal to her sisters in beauty, and in mind was quick and intelligent.

Her great taste was for boating, and the romance of her life consisted in laying out ideal pleasure-grounds, and building ideal castles in a little reedy island or ait which lay out in the Thames, a few perches from the drawing-room windows.
Such was the family of the Woodwards.

Harry Norman's father and Mr.Woodward had been first cousins, and hence it had been quite natural that when Norman came up to reside in London he should be made welcome to Surbiton Cottage.

He had so been made welcome, and had thus got into a habit of spending his Saturday evenings and Sundays at the home of his relatives.

In summer he could row up in his own wherry, and land himself and carpet-bag direct on the Woodwards' lawn, and in the winter he came down by the Hampton Court five p.m.