Her dress showed rather more effort at fashion than was quite in keeping with her very rural surroundings, and her speech and accent betrayed a childhood spent among uneducated folk and only overlaid by more recent schooling.

Her face had the best parts of beauty: health and good sense were written there, also flashes of humour and an habitual sweet seriousness.

She had chanced to be at the gate gathering flowers.

Her reception of the student was frank, and yet there was just a touch of blushing dignity about it which suggested that she took a special interest in him.

The student also, it would appear, took an interest in her, for, on their way to the house, he made a variety of remarks upon the weather which proved that he was a little excited and unable to observe that he was talking nonsense.
In a little while the family were gathered round the tea-table.