I saw that the two girls looked at me very sharply, but I stood at
the back of an arm-chair so that no one could see my feet. But that
little imp Tizzy walked round deliberately, looked at my heels, and
then walked back again. It was clear that she was in the secret.
There were eight or ten people in the room, but I was too much
fluttered to notice well who they were.
"Mamma," said Miss O'Conor, "let me introduce Mr. Green to you."
It luckily happened that Mrs. O'Conor was on the same side of the
fire as myself, and I was able to take the hand which she offered me
without coming round into the middle of the circle. Mrs. O'Conor was
a little woman, apparently not of much importance in the world, but,
if one might judge from first appearance, very good-natured.
"And my aunt Die, Mr. Green," said Kate, pointing to a very straight-
backed, grim-looking lady, who occupied a corner of a sofa, on the
opposite side of the hearth. I knew that politeness required that I
should walk across the room and make acquaintance with her. But
under the existing circumstances how was I to obey the dictates of
politeness? I was determined therefore to stand my ground, and
merely bowed across the room at Miss O'Conor.
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