But his talent as a supposed wit was nothing at all to the cleverness with which he now managed to keep the large white boat by the side of the small green one for the remainder of the evening.

It was entirely managed by the superior will of one person, for certainly none of the Bells wished for this propinquity.
Mrs.Bell, who like a watchful hen-mother was apparently seeing nothing, and yet all the time was tenderly brooding over the little chick whom she hoped was soon about to take flight from the parent nest, saw at a glance that her chick looked nothing at all beside that superior chicken of Mrs.Meadowsweet's.

For Matty's little nose was sadly burnt, and one lock of her thin limp hair was flying not too picturesquely in the breeze.

And her home-cut jacket was by no means remarkably becoming, and one of her small, uncovered hands--why _would_ Matty take her gloves off ?--was burnt red, not brown by the sun.

Beatrice, on the contrary, looked as she always did, trim and neat, and bright and gracious.