MissBlanche——takingnonoticeofherstep-mother’sreproof，orofheruncle’scommentaryonit——pointedtoatableonwhichcroquetmalletsandballswerelaidready，andrecalledtheattentionofthecompanytothematterinhand。
“Iheadoneside，ladiesandgentlemen，“sheresumed。“AndLadyLundieheadstheother。Wechooseourplayersturnandturnabout。Mammahastheadvantageofmeinyears。Somammachoosesfirst。“
Withalookatherstep-daughter——which，beinginterpreted，meant，“Iwouldsendyoubacktothenursery，miss，ifI
could!“——LadyLundieturnedandranhereyeoverherguests。Shehadevidentlymadeuphermind，beforehand，whatplayertopickoutfirst。
“IchooseMissSilvester，“shesaid——withaspecialemphasislaidonthename。