To ladies he spoke of the weather, and was accustomed to consider it under three points of view: as a question of climate in general, comparing England with other countries in this respect; as a personal question, inquiring how it affected his lady interlocutor in particular; and as a question of probabilities, discussing whether there would be a change or a continuance of the present atmospheric conditions.

To gentlemen he talked politics, and he read two daily papers expressly to qualify himself for this function.

Mr.
Barton thought him a man of considerable political information, but not of lively parts.
'And so you are always to hold your Clerical Meetings at Mr.Ely's ?' said the Countess, between her spoonfuls of soup.

(The soup was a little over-spiced.

Mrs.Short of Camp Villa, who was in the habit of letting her best apartments, gave only moderate wages to her cook.) 'Yes,' said Mr.Barton; 'Milby is a central place, and there are many conveniences in having only one point of meeting.' 'Well,' continued the Countess, 'every one seems to agree in giving the precedence to Mr.Ely.For my part, I _cannot_ admire him.