under Government. Mrs. Linley was his one surviving child. He
died at an advanced age; leaving his handsome widow (young
enough, as she was always ready to mention, to be his daughter)
well provided for, and an object of matrimonial aspiration to
single gentlemen who admired size in a woman, set off by money.
After hesitating for some little time, Mrs. Norman accepted the
proposal of the ugliest and dullest man among the ranks of her
admirers. Why she became the wife of Mr. Presty (known in
commercial circles as a merchant enriched by the sale of vinegar)
she was never able to explain. Why she lamented him, with tears
of sincere sorrow, when he died after two years of married life,
was a mystery which puzzled her nearest and dearest friends. And
why when she indulged (a little too frequently) in recollections
of her married life, she persisted in putting obscure Mr. Presty
on a level with distinguished Mr. Norman, was a secret which this
remarkable woman had never been known to reveal. Presented by
their widow with the strictest impartiality to the general view,
the characters of these two husbands combined, by force of
contrast, the ideal of manly perfection. That is to say, the
vices of Mr. Norman were the virtues of Mr. Presty; and the vices
of Mr. Presty were the virtues of Mr. Norman.

Returning to the sitting-room after bidding Kitty goodnight, Mrs.
Linley discovered the old lady asleep, and saw that the book on
her mother's lap was sliding off. Before she could check the
downward movement, the book fell on the floor, and Mrs. Presty
woke.

"Oh, mamma, I am so sorry! I was just too late to catch it."