couple of hours before at breakfast in a faded hall which had once been but was now the prey of watery and a settled melancholy mrs general was accessible to the that found her on a little square of carpet so extremely in reference to the size of her stone and marble floor that she looked a if she might have had it spread for the trying on of a ready made pair of shoes or as if she had come into possession of the enchanted piece of carpet bought for forty by one of the three princes in the nights and had that moment been transported on it at a wish into a saloon with which it had no mrs general replying to the as she set down her empty coffee cup that she was willing at once to proceed to mr s apartment and spare him the trouble of coming to her which in his gallantry he had proposed the threw open the door and escorted mrs general to � the presence it was quite a walk by mysterious and from mrs general s apartment � by a narrow side street with a low gloomy bridge in it and like opposite their walls with a thousand downward and streaks as if every crazy in them had been weeping tears of into the for centuries � to mr s apartment with a english house front of window a prospect of beautiful church rising into the blue sky sheer out of the water which reflected them and a hushed murmur of the grand canal the below where his and attended his pleasure swinging in a little forest of piles mr in a dressing gown and cap � the that had so long its time among the had burst into a rare butterfly � rose to receive mrs general a chair to mrs general an easier chair sir what are you doing w r hat are you about what do vou mean now leave us mrs general said mr i took the liberty w � little by no means mrs general interposed i was quite at your disposition i had had my coffee i took the liberty said mr again with the magnificent of one who was above to the favor of a little private conversation with you because i feel rather worried respecting my � ha � my younger daughter you will have observed a great difference of temperament madam between my two daughters said mrs general in response crossing her hands she was never without gloves and they never and always fitted there is a great difference may i ask to be favored with your view of it said mr with a deference not with majestic serenity returned mrs general has force of character and none none mrs general ask the stones and bars mrs general ask the who taught her to work and the dancing master who taught her sister to dance mrs general mrs general ask me her father what i owe to her and hear my testimony touching the life of this little creature from her childhood up no such entered mr s head he looked at mrs general seated in her usual erect attitude on her behind the and he said in a thoughtful manner true madam i would not said mrs general be understood to say observe that there is nothing to improve in but there is material there � perhaps indeed a little too much will you be kind enough madam said mr to be � ha � more explicit i do not quite understand my elder daughter s having � hum � too much material what material returned mrs general at present forms too many opinions perfect breeding forms none and is never lest he himself should be found deficient in perfect breeding mr hastened to reply unquestionably madam you are right mrs general returned in her and manner i believe so but you are aware my dear madam said mr that my daughters had the misfortune to lose their lamented mother when they were very young and that in consequence of my not having been until lately the recognised heir to my property they have lived with me as a comparatively poor though always proud gentleman in � ha hum � retirement i do not said mrs general lose sight of the circumstance madam pursued mr of my daughter under her present guidance and with such an example constantly before her mrs general shut her eyes � i have no there is of character in but my younger daughter mrs general rather and my thoughts i must inform you that she has always been my favorite little there is no said mrs general for these ha � no assented mr no madam i am troubled by noticing that is not so to speak one of ourselves she does not care to go about with us she is lost in the society we have here our tastes are evidently not her tastes which said mr up with gravity is to say in other words that there is something wrong in � ha � may we incline to the supposition said mrs general with a little touch of that something is to the novelty of the position excuse me madam observed mr rather quickly the daughter of a gentleman though � ha � himself at one time comparatively far from � comparatively � and herself reared in � hum � retirement need not of necessity find this position so very novel true said mrs general true therefore madam said mr i took the liberty he laid an emphasis on the phrase and repeated it as though he with firmness that he must not be contradicted again i took the liberty of this interview in order that i might mention the topic to you and how you would advise me mr returned mrs general i have conversed with several times since we have been 