Kitty could not help laughing at this idea, and only wished it might be true, as it was very likely that she would be too late for any other partner. "But what, in the name of wonder, can he have to say to me! Perhaps he is come to rob the house. He comes in style at least; and it will be some consolation for our losses to be robbed by a gentleman in a chaise and four. What livery has his servants?"
"Why that is the most wonderful thing about him, ma'am, for he has not a single servant with him, and came with hack horses; but he is as handsome as a Prince for all that, and has quite the look of one. Do, dear ma'am, go down, for I am sure you will be delighted with him."
"Well, I believe I must go; but it is very odd! What can he have to say to me." Then giving one look at herself in the glass, she walked with great impatience, tho' trembling all the while from not knowing what to expect, down stairs, and after pausing a moment at the door to gather courage for opening it, she resolutely entered the room. The stranger, whose appearance did not disgrace the account she had received of it from her maid, rose up on her entrance, and laying aside the newspaper he had been reading, advanced towards her with an air of the most perfect ease and vivacity, and said to her, "It is certainly a very awkward circumstance to be thus obliged to introduce myself, but I trust that the necessity of the case will plead my excuse, and prevent your being prejudiced by it against me. Your name, I need not ask, ma'am—Miss Percival is too well known to me by description to need any information of that."
Kitty, who had been expecting him to tell his own name, instead of hers, and who from having been little in company, and never before in such a situation, felt herself unable to ask it, tho' she had been planning her speech all the way down stairs, was so confused and distressed by this unexpected address that she could only return a slight curtsy to it, and accepted the chair he reached her, without knowing what she did. The gentleman then continued. "You are, I dare say, surprised to see me returned from France so soon, and nothing indeed but business could have brought me to England; a very melancholy affair has now occasioned it, and I was unwilling to leave it without paying my respects to the family in Devonshire whom I have so long wished to be acquainted with." Kitty, who felt much more surprised at his supposing her to be so, than at seeing a person in England, whose having ever left it was perfectly unknown to her, still continued silent from wonder and perplexity, and her visitor still continued to talk.
"You will suppose, madam, that I was not the less desirous of waiting on you, from your having Mr. and Mrs. Stanley with you. I hope they are well? And Mrs. Percival, how does she do?" Then without waiting for an answer he gaily added, "But my dear Miss Percival, you are going out I am sure; and I am detaining you from your appointment. How can I ever expect to be forgiven for such injustice! Yet how can I, so circumstanced, forbear to offend! You seem dressed for a ball! But this is the land of gaiety I know; I have for many years been desirous of visiting it. You have dances I suppose at least every week. But where are the rest of your party gone, and what kind angel in compassion to me, has excluded you from it?"
"Perhaps sir," said Kitty extremely confused by his manner of speaking to her, and highly displeased with the freedom of his conversation towards one who had never seen him before and did not now know his name, "Perhaps sir, you are acquainted with Mr. and Mrs. Stanley; and your business may be with them?"
"You do me too much honour, ma'am," replied he laughing, "in supposing me to be acquainted with Mr. and Mrs. Stanley; I merely know them by sight; very distant relations; only my father and mother. Nothing more I assure you."
"Gracious Heaven!" said Kitty, "Are you Mr. Stanley then? I beg a thousand pardons. Though really upon recollection I do not know for what—for you never told me your name."
"I beg your pardon. I made a very fine speech when you entered the room, all about introducing myself; I assure you it was very great for me."
"The speech had certainly great merit," said Kitty smiling; "I thought so at the time; but since you never mentioned your name in it, as an introductory one it might have been better."
There was such an air of good humour and gaiety in Stanley, that Kitty, tho' perhaps not authorized to address him with so much familiarity on so short an acquaintance, could not forbear indulging the natural unreserve and vivacity of her own disposition, in speaking to him, as he spoke to her. She was intimately acquainted too with his family who were her relations, and she chose to consider herself entitled by the connexion to forget how little a while they had known each other. "Mr. and Mrs. Stanley and your sister are extremely well," said she, "and will I dare say be very much surprised to see you. But I am sorry to hear that your return to England has been occasioned by an unpleasant circumstance."
"Oh, don't talk of it," said he, "it is a most confounded shocking affair, and makes me miserable to think of it; But where are my father and mother, and your aunt gone! Oh! Do you know that I met the prettiest little waiting maid in the world, when I came here; she let me into the house; I took her for you at first."
"You did me a great deal of honour, and give me more credit for good nature than I deserve, for I never go to the door when any one comes."
"Nay do not be angry; I mean no offence. But tell me, where are you going to so smart? Your carriage is just coming round."
"I am going to a dance at a neighbour's, where your family and my aunt are already gone."
"Gone, without you! what's the meaning of that? But I suppose you are like myself, rather long in dressing."
"I must have been so indeed, if that were the case for they have been gone nearly these two hours; The reason however was not what you suppose. I was prevented going by a pain—"
"By a pain!" interrupted Stanley, "Oh! heavens, that is dreadful indeed! No matter where the pain was. But my dear Miss Percival, what do you say to my accompanying you! And suppose you were to dance with me too? I think it would be very pleasant."
"I can have no objection to either I am sure," said Kitty laughing to find how near the truth her maid's conjecture had been; "on the contrary I shall be highly honoured by both, and I can answer for your being extremely welcome to the family who give the ball."
"Oh! hang them; who cares for that; they cannot turn me out of the house. But I am afraid I shall cut a sad figure among all your Devonshire beaux in this dusty, travelling apparel, and I have not wherewithal to change it. You can procure me some powder perhaps, and I must get a pair of shoes from one of the men, for I was in such a devil of a hurry to leave Lyons that I had not time to have anything pack'd up but some linen." Kitty very readily undertook to procure for him everything he wanted, and telling the footman to show him into Mr. Stanley's dressing room, gave Nanny orders to send in some powder and pomatum, which orders Nanny chose to execute in person. As Stanley's preparations in dressing were confined to such very trifling articles, Kitty of course expected him in about ten minutes; but she found that it had not been merely a boast of vanity in saying that he was dilatory in that respect, as he kept her waiting for him above half an hour, so that the clock had struck ten before he entered the room and the rest of the party had gone by eight.
"Well," said he as he came in, "have not I been very quick! I never hurried so much in my life before."
"In that case you certainly have," replied Kitty, "for all merit you know is comparative."
"Oh! I knew you would be delighted with me for making so much haste. But come, the carriage is ready; so, do not keep me waiting." And so saying he took her by the hand, and led her out of the room.
"Why, my dear Cousin," said he when they were seated, "this will be a most agreeable surprise to everybody to see you enter the room with such a smart young fellow as I am. I hope your aunt won't be alarmed."
"To tell you the truth," replied Kitty, "I think the best way to prevent it, will be to send for her, or your mother before we go into the room, especially as you are a perfect stranger, and must of course be introduced to Mr. and Mrs. Dudley."
"Oh!