"No!" said Molly, looking at it again. "I never saw any one half so
beautiful."
"But don't you see a likeness--in the eyes particularly?" he asked
again, with some impatience.
Molly tried hard to find out a resemblance, and was again
unsuccessful.
"It constantly reminds me of--of Miss Kirkpatrick."
"Does it?" said Molly, eagerly. "Oh! I am so glad--I've never seen
her, so of course I couldn't find out the likeness. You know her,
then, do you? Please tell me all about her."
He hesitated a moment before speaking. He smiled a little before
replying.
"She's very beautiful; that of course is understood when I say that
this miniature does not come up to her for beauty."
"And besides?--Go on, please."
"What do you mean by 'besides'?"
"Oh! I suppose she's very clever and accomplished?"
That was not in the least what Molly wanted to ask; but it was
difficult to word the vague vastness of her unspoken inquiry.
"She is clever naturally; she has picked up accomplishments. But she
has such a charm about her, one forgets what she herself is in the
halo that surrounds her. You ask me all this, Miss Gibson, and I
answer truthfully; or else I should not entertain one young lady with
my enthusiastic praises of another."
"I don't see why not," said Molly. "Besides, if you wouldn't do it
in general, I think you ought to do it in my case; for you, perhaps,
don't know, but she is coming to live with us when she leaves school,
and we are very nearly the same age; so it will be almost like having
a sister."
"She is to live with you, is she?" said Mr. Preston, to whom this
intelligence was news. "And when is she to leave school? I thought
she would surely have been at this wedding; but I was told she was
not to come. When is she to leave school?"
"I think it is to be at Easter. You know she's at Boulogne, and it's
a long journey for her to come alone; or else papa wished for her to
be at the marriage very much indeed."
"And her mother prevented it?--I understand."
"No, it wasn't her mother; it was the French schoolmistress, who
didn't think it desirable."
"It comes to pretty much the same thing. And she's to return and live
with you after Easter?"
"I believe so. Is she a grave or a merry person?"
"Never very grave, as far as I have seen of her. Sparkling would
be the word for her, I think. Do you ever write to her? If you do,
pray remember me to her, and tell her how we have been talking about
her--you and I."