kissing wildly the tan head of the puppy who, but the day before, had
been rest from her charge.




CHAPTER III


There are certain persons who are born heralds and genealogists; there
are many more to whom these useful gifts have been denied. With
apologies to both classes, to the one for sins of omission, to the
other in the reverse sense, I find that an excerpt from the
Talbot-Lowry pedigree must be inflicted upon them.

With all brevity, let it be stated that Dick Talbot-Lowry possessed a
father, General John Richard, and General John Richard had an only
sister, Caroline. Caroline, fair and handsome, like all her family,
was "married off," as was the custom of her period, at the age of
seventeen, to elderly Anthony Coppinger, chiefly for the reason that
he was the owner of Coppinger's Court, with a very comfortable
rent-roll, and a large demesne, that marched, as to its eastern
boundaries, with that of Mount Music, and was, as it happened, divided
from it by no more than the Ownashee, that mountain river of which
mention has been made. It was, therefore, exceedingly advisable that
the existing friendly relations should be cemented, as far as was
practicable, and the fair and handsome Caroline was an obvious and
suitable adhesive. To Anthony and Caroline, two children were born;
Frederica, of whom more hereafter, and Thomas. By those who lay claim
to genealogic skill, it will now be apparent that these were the first