Then he had her brought into the dining-room, where they sat over their bottles drinking deep, and setting her on the table, he exhibited her to them, boasting of her beauty, showing them her splendid arm and leg and thigh, measuring her height, and exciting her to test the strength of the grip of her hand and the power of her little fist.
"Saw you ever a wench like her ?" he cried, as they all shouted with laughter and made jokes not too polite, but such as were of the sole kind they were given to.

"Has any man among you begot a boy as big and handsome?
Hang me! if she would not knock down any lad of ten if she were in a fury." "We wild dogs are out of favour with the women," cried one of the best pleased among them, a certain Lord Eldershawe, whose seat was a few miles from Wildairs Hall--"women like nincompoops and chaplains.

Let us take this one for our toast, and bring her up as girls should be brought up to be companions for men.

I give you, Mistress Clorinda Wildairs--Mistress Clorinda, the enslaver of six years old--bumpers, lads!--bumpers!" And they set her in the very midst of the big table and drank her health, standing, bursting into a jovial, ribald song; and the child, excited by the noise and laughter, actually broke forth and joined them in a high, strong treble, the song being one she was quite familiar with, having heard it often enough in the stable to have learned the words pat.
* * * * * Two weeks after his meeting with her, Sir Jeoffry was seized with the whim to go up to London and set her forth with finery.

'Twas but rarely he went up to town, having neither money to waste, nor finding great attraction in the more civilised quarters of the world.