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"Aye indeed. But you mustn't be solemn over it. When you live at the Manor you will laugh at such things. Brother, you and I are still suffering from our seventeen years in France, where we learned to be civilized, and perversely to speak the English tongue. If we had never been away, we should be like any other Squire round here, with no thought save to guzzle ale and hunt the fox, and no speech save the 'uums' and 'aahs' of a yokel at a fair."

"You'll soon see plain that my girls have never been in France."

"Madame shall teach them how to behave à la française; though I'll lay you don't want 'em trained up as wives for the French exiles."

"I've no objection if she makes them polite enough. Two pretty, prancing young fellows were at my house last night and I told the girls they could do as they pleased with 'em so long as they remembered that Bess marries the heir. They'll have money of their own, so can afford to pay for blood."

"We've some fine ancient families exiled now among us, much as we once were exiled among them. Louise was mightily pleased with one or two that she saw, though she doesn't like their religion . . . there she is, on the terrace."