So she put on her grey silk gown and her cherry coloured ribbon with as much care as if she had been herself the betrothed; not forgetting the pair of round pearl earrings which Sir Christopher had told Lady Cheverel to give her, because Tina's little ears were so pretty.
Quick as she had been, she found Sir Christopher and Lady Cheverel in the drawing-room chatting with Mr.Gilfil, and telling him how handsome Miss Assher was, but how entirely unlike her mother--apparently resembling her father only.
'Aha!' said Sir Christopher, as he turned to look at Caterina, 'what do you think of this, Maynard?
Did you ever see Tina look so pretty before?
Why, that little grey gown has been made out of a bit of my lady's, hasn't it?
It doesn't take anything much larger than a pocket-handkerchief to dress the little monkey.' Lady Cheverel, too, serenely radiant in the assurance a single glance had given her of Lady Assher's inferiority, smiled approval, and Caterina was in one of those moods of self possession and indifference which come as the ebb-tide between the struggles of passion.

She retired to the piano, and busied herself with arranging her music, not at all insensible to the pleasure of being looked at with admiration the while, and thinking that, the next time the door opened, Captain Wybrow would enter, and she would speak to him quite cheerfully.

But when she heard him come in, and the scent of roses floated towards her, her heart gave one great leap.

She knew nothing till he was pressing her hand, and saying, in the old easy way, 'Well, Caterina, how do you do?
You look quite blooming.' She felt her cheeks reddening with anger that he could speak and look with such perfect nonchalance.

Ah! he was too deeply in love with some one else to remember anything he had felt for _her_.