Menlove departed, and Picotee stood waiting. She wondered how Ethelberta
was getting on, and whether she enjoyed herself as much as it seemed her
duty to do in such a superbly hospitable place. Picotee then turned her
attention to the hall, every article of furniture therein appearing
worthy of scrutiny to her unaccustomed eyes. Here she walked and looked
about for a long time till an excellent opportunity offered itself of
seeing how affairs progressed in the dining-room.

Through the partly-opened door there became visible a sideboard which
first attracted her attention by its richness. It was, indeed, a
noticeable example of modern art-workmanship, in being exceptionally
large, with curious ebony mouldings at different stages; and, while the
heavy cupboard doors at the bottom were enriched with inlays of paler
wood, other panels were decorated with tiles, as if the massive
composition had been erected on the spot as part of the solid building.
However, it was on a space higher up that Picotee's eyes and thoughts
were fixed. In the great mirror above the middle ledge she could see
reflected the upper part of the dining-room, and this suggested to her
that she might see Ethelberta and the other guests reflected in the same
way by standing on a chair, which, quick as thought, she did.

To Picotee's dazed young vision her beautiful sister appeared as the
chief figure of a glorious pleasure-parliament of both sexes, surrounded
by whole regiments of candles grouped here and there about the room. She
and her companions were seated before a large flowerbed, or small hanging
garden, fixed at about the level of the elbow, the attention of all being
concentrated rather upon the uninteresting margin of the bed, and upon
each other, than on the beautiful natural objects growing in the middle,
as it seemed to Picotee. In the ripple of conversation Ethelberta's
clear voice could occasionally be heard, and her young sister could see