However little known the feelings or views of such a woman may be on her first entering a neighbourhood, the truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that she is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their sons.

"My dear Mrs. Joyce le Bloddy,'' said her husband, Mayor Wilkins le Bloddy, to her one day, "have you heard that the burnt husk of Sunnydale High is let at last?''

Mrs. Joyce le Bloddy replied that she had not.

"But it is,'' returned he; "for Mr. Long has just been here, and he told me all about it.''

Mrs. Joyce le Bloddy made no answer.

"Do not you want to know who has taken it?'' cried her husband impatiently.

" You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.''

This was invitation enough.

"Why, my dear, you must know, Mr. Long says that the burnt husk of Sunnydale High is taken by a young woman of large fortune from the north of California; that she came down on Monday in a chaise and four to see the place, and was so much delighted with it that she agreed with Mrs. Morris immediately; that she is to take possession before Michaelmas, and some of her servants are to be in the house by the end of next week.''

"What is her name?''

"Willow Rosenburg.''

"Is she married or single?''

"Oh! single, my dear, to be sure! A single woman of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our boys!''

"How so? how can it affect them?''

"My dear Mrs. Joyce le Bloddy,'' replied her husband, "how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of her marrying one of them.''

"Is that her design in settling here?''

"Design! nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that she may fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit her as soon as she comes.''

"I see no occasion for that. You and the boys may go, or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better; for, as you are as handsome as any of them, Willow might like you the best of the party.''

"My dear, you flatter me. I certainly have had my share of beauty, but I do not pretend to be any thing extraordinary now. When a man has five grown up sons, he ought to give over thinking of his own beauty.''

"In such cases, a man has not often much beauty to think of.''

"But, my dear, you must indeed go and see Willow when she comes into the neighbourhood.''

"It is more than I engage for, I assure you.''

"But consider your sons. Only think what an establishment it would be for one of them. Dame Walsh and Dr. Angleman Walsh are determined to go, merely on that account, for in general, you know they visit no new comers. Indeed you must go, for it will be impossible for us to visit her, if you do not.''

"You are over scrupulous, surely. I dare say Willow will be very glad to see you; and I will send a few lines by you to assure her of my hearty consent to her marrying which ever she chuses of the boys; though I must throw in a good word for my little Spikey.''

"I desire you will do no such thing. Spikey is not a bit better than the others; and I am sure he is not half so handsome as Oz, nor half so good at brooding as Angelus. But you are always giving him the preference.''

"They have none of them much to recommend them,'' replied she; "they are all silly and ignorant like other boys; but Spikey has something more of quickness than his brothers.''

"Mrs. Joyce le Bloddy, how can you abuse your own children in such way? You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion on my poor nerves.''

"You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these twenty years at least.''

"Ah! you do not know what I suffer.''

"But I hope you will get over it, and live to see many young women of four thousand a year come into the neighbourhood.''

"It will be no use to us if twenty such should come, since you will not visit them.''

"Depend upon it, my dear, that when there are twenty I will visit them all.''

"I hope Willow will like it, Spikey.''

"We are not in a way to know what Willow likes,'' said his father resentfully, "since we are not to visit.''

"But you forget, papa,'' said Spike, "that we shall meet her at the assemblies, and that Mr. Long has promised to introduce her.''

"I do not believe Mr. Long will do any such thing. He has two nephews of his own. He is a selfish, hypocritical man, and I have no opinion of him.''

"No more have I,'' said Mrs. Joyce le Bloddy; "and I am glad to find that you do not depend on his serving you.''

Mayor Wilkins-le Bloddy deigned not to make any reply; but unable to contain himself, began scolding one of his sons.

"Don't keep coughing so, Doyle, for heaven's sake! Have a little compassion on my nerves. You tear them to pieces.''

"Doyle has no discretion in his coughs,'' said his mother; "he times them ill.''

"I do not cough for my own amusement,'' replied Doyle fretfully.

"When is your next sparring match to be, Spikey?''

"To-morrow fortnight.''

"Aye, so it is,'' cried his father, "and Mr. Long does not come back till the day before; so it will be impossible for him to introduce her, for he will not know her himself.''

"Then, my dear, you may have the advantage of your friend, and introduce Willow to him.''

"Impossible, Mrs. Joyce le Bloddy, impossible, when I am not acquainted with her myself; how can you be so teazing?''

"I honour your circumspection. A fortnight's acquaintance is certainly very little. One cannot know what a woman really is by the end of a fortnight. But if we do not venture, somebody else will; and after all, Mr. Long and his nephews must stand their chance; and therefore, as he will think it an act of kindness, if you decline the office, I will take it on myself.''

The boys stared at their mother. Mayor Wilkins-le Bloddy said only, "Nonsense, nonsense!''

"What can be the meaning of that emphatic exclamation?'' cried she. "Do you consider the forms of introduction, and the stress that is laid on them, as nonsense? I cannot quite agree with you there. What say you, Anointed One? for you are a young lord of deep reflection I know, and read great books, and make extracts.''

Anointed One wished to say something very sensible, but knew not how.

"While Anointed One is adjusting his ideas,'' she continued, "let us return to Willow.''

"I am sick of Willow,'' cried her husband.

"I am sorry to hear that ; but why did not you tell me so before? If I had known as much the morning, I certainly would not have called on her. It is very unlucky; but as I have actually paid the visit, we cannot escape the acquaintance now.''

The astonishment of the gentlemen was just what she wished; that of Mayor Wilkins-le Bloddy perhaps surpassing the rest; though when the first tumult of joy was over, he began to declare that it was what he had expected all the while.

"How good it was in you, my dear Mrs. Joyce le Bloddy! But I knew I should persuade you at last. I was sure you loved our boys too well to neglect such an acquaintance. Well, how pleased I am! and it is such a good joke, too, that you should have gone the morning, and never said a word about it till now.''

"Now, Doyle, you may cough as much as you chuse,'' said Mrs. Joyce le Bloddy; and, as she spoke, she left the room, fatigued with the raptures of her husband.

"What an excellent mother you have, boys, '' said he, when the door was shut. "I do not know how you will ever make her amends for her kindness; or me either, for that matter. At our time of life, it is not so pleasant I can tell you, to be making new acquaintance every day; but for your sakes, we would do any thing. Angelus, my love, though you are the youngest, I dare say Willow will spar with you at the next sparring match.''

"Oh!'' said Angelus stoutly, "I am not afraid; for though I am the youngest, I'm the tallest.''

"If I can but see one of my sons happily settled at the burnt husk of Sunnydale High,'' said Mayor Wilkins-le Bloddy to his wife, "and all the others equally well married, I shall have nothing to wish for. Well, except one day to be a great giant snake. But that is another thing entirely.''

In a few days Willow returned Mrs. Joyce le Bloddy's visit, and sat about ten minutes with her in her library. She had entertained hopes of being admitted to a sight of the young gentlemen, of whose good looks she had heard much; but she saw only the mother. The gentlemen were somewhat more fortunate, for they had the advantage of ascertaining, from an upper window, that she wore a fuzzy blue sweater and rode a black horse.

An invitation to dinner was soon afterwards dispatched; and already had Mayor Wilkins-le Bloddy planned the courses that were to do credit to his housekeeping, when an answer arrived which deferred it all. Willow was obliged to be in town the following day, and consequently unable to accept the honour of their invitation, &c. Mayor Wilkins-le Bloddy was quite disconcerted. He could not imagine what business she could have in town so soon after her arrival in Southern California; and he began to fear that she might be always flying about from one place to another, and never settled at the burnt husk of Sunnydale High as she ought to be. Dr. Angleman Walsh quieted his fears a little by starting the idea of her being gone to Los Angeles only to get a large party for the sparring match; and a report soon followed that Willow was to bring twelve gentlemen and seven ladies with her to the dojo. The boys grieved over such a large number of gentlemen; but were comforted the day before the sparring match by hearing that, instead of twelve, she had brought only six with her from Los Angeles, her five brothers and a cousin. And when the party entered the dojo room, it consisted of only five altogether; Willow, her two brothers, the wife of the oldest, and another young woman.

Willow was good looking and lady like; she had a pleasant countenance, and easy, unaffected manners. Her sister-in law, Mrs. Kate Lockley, merely looked the lady; but her friend Miss Buffy Summers soon drew the attention of the room by her fine person, handsome features, noble mien; and the report which was in general circulation within five minutes after her entrance, of her having ten thousand a year. The ladies pronounced her to be a fine figure of a woman, the gentlemen declared she was much handsomer than Willow, and she was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till her manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of her popularity; for she was discovered to be proud, to be above her company, and above being pleased; and not all her large estate in the San Francisco Bay Area could then save her from having a most forbidding, general mopyness, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared with her friend. She was also put into some disrepute when, early in the evening, she took to brandishing a wooden stake. While, of course, ten thousand pounds a year may excuse many eccentricities, her insistence on playing the Slayer at a social gathering was not one of them. 

Willow had soon made herself acquainted with all the principal people in the room; she was lively and unreserved, fought every sparring match, was angry that the dojo closed so early, and talked of giving one herself at the burnt husk of Sunnydale High. Such amiable qualities must speak for themselves. What a contrast between her and her friend! Miss Buffy Summers fought only once with Mr. Wesley Lockley and once with Mr. Riley Finn Rosenburg, declined being introduced to any other gentleman, and spent the rest of the evening in walking about the room, speaking occasionally to one of her own party. Her character was decided. She was the proudest, most disagreeable woman in the world, and every body hoped that she would never come there again. Amongst the most violent against her was Mayor Wilkins-le Bloddy, whose dislike of her general behaviour was sharpened into particular resentment by her having slighted one of his sons.

Spike le Bloddy had been obliged, by the scarcity of gentlewomen, to sit down for two sparring matches; and during part of that time, Miss Buffy Summers had been standing near enough for him to overhear a conversation between her and Willow, who came from the sparring match for a few minutes to press her friend to join it.

"Come, Summers,'' said she, "I must have you fight in a sparring match. I hate to see you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner. You had much better spar.''

"I certainly shall not. You know how I detest it, unless I am particularly acquainted with my partner. At such a dojo as This, it would be insupportable. Your brothers are engaged, and there is not another man in the room whom it would not be a punishment to me to fight.''

"I would not be so fastidious as you are,'' cried Rosenburg, "for a kingdom! Upon my honour I never met with so many pleasant boys in my life, as I have the evening; and there are several of them, you see, uncommonly handsome.''

" You are sparring with the only handsome boy in the room,'' said Miss Buffy Summers, looking at the eldest Mr. le Bloddy.

"Oh! he is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld! But there is one of his brothers sitting down just behind you, who is very handsome, and I dare say very agreeable. Do let me ask my partner to introduce you.''

"Which do you mean?'' and turning round, she looked for a moment at Spike, till catching his eye, she withdrew her own and coldly said, "He is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me ; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young gentlemen who are slighted by other women. You had better return to your partner and enjoy his smiles, for you are wasting your time with me.''

Willow followed her advice. 

Willow returned to the mats for her next set-to with Oz. 

As the match began, the two contestants coyly smiled at one another as the announcer opened the match. Willow ducked low as Oz snap kicked a blow to her head. Without even looking, Willow displayed her fine spatial sense by grappling his ankle in mid air and flipping him daintily to the mat.

' ' Woah,'' said Oz, ' ' Ankle grab.''

Willow blushed prettily at his compliment and attempted a jab to his solar plexus.

Oz avoided the blow with a skilfully executed half roll into a back flip. As they circled each, Willow said, "I say, next time, let's use weapons. That was a jolly flip."

Oz replied, "Yes, I bet you'd look lovely with a sword in your hand."

They continued in this vein of pretty compliments as the blows fell fast and furious.

Miss Buffy Summers ceased to watch this play and walked off; and Spike remained with no very cordial feelings towards her. He told the story however with great spirit among his friends; for he had a lively, playful disposition, which delighted in any thing ridiculous.

The evening altogether passed off pleasantly to the whole family. Mayor Wilkins-le Bloddy had seen his eldest son much admired by the party from the burnt husk of Sunnydale High. Willow had fought with him twice, and he had been distinguished by her brothers. Oz was as much gratified by this as his father could be, though in a quieter way. Spike felt Oz's pleasure. Anointed One had heard himself mentioned to Mr. Riley Finn Rosenburg as the most accomplished boy in the neighbourhood; and Doyle and Angelus had been fortunate enough to be never without partners, which was all that they had yet learnt to care for at a sparring match. They returned therefore, in good spirits to The Ubiquitous Warehouse of the le Bloddy's, where they lived, and of which they were the principal inhabitants. They found Mrs. Joyce le Bloddy still up. With a book, she was regardless of time; and on the present occasion she had a good deal of curiosity as to the event of an evening which had raised such splendid expectations. She had rather hoped that all her husband's views on the stranger would be disappointed; but she soon found that she had a very different story to hear.

"Oh! my dear Mrs. Joyce le Bloddy,'' as he entered the room, "we have had a most delightful evening, a most excellent sparring match. I wish you had been there. Oz was so admired, nothing could be like it. Every body said how well he looked; and Willow thought him quite handsome, and fought with him twice. Only think of that my dear; she actually fought with him twice; and he was the only creature in the room that she asked a second time. First of all, she asked Mr. Walsh. I was so vexed to see her fight him; but, however, she did not admire him at all: indeed, nobody can, you know; and she seemed quite struck with Oz as he was going down the sparring match. So, she enquired who he was, and got introduced, and asked him for the two next. Then, the two third she fought with Mr. Gunn, and the two fourth with Forest Walsh, and the two fifth with Oz again, and the two sixth with Spikey, and the Boulanger --''

"If she had had any compassion for me,'' cried his wife impatiently, "she would not have fought half so much! For God's sake, say no more of her partners. Oh! that she had sprained her ankle in the first sparring match!''

"Oh! my dear,'' continued Mayor Wilkins-le Bloddy, "I am quite delighted with her. She is so excessively handsome! and her brothers are charming men. I never in my life saw any thing more elegant than their weapons. I dare say the steel in Mr. Wesley Lockley's sword--''

Here he was interrupted again. Mrs. Joyce le Bloddy protested against any description of finery. He was therefore obliged to seek another branch of the subject, and related, with much bitterness of spirit and some exaggeration, the shocking rudeness of Miss Buffy Summers.

"But I can assure you,'' he added, "that Spikey does not lose much by not suiting her fancy; for she is a most disagreeable, horrid woman, not at all worth pleasing. So high and so conceited that there was no enduring her! She walked here, and she walked there, fancying herself so very great! Not handsome enough to fight! I wish you had been there, my dear, to have given her one of your set downs. I quite detest the woman.'' 
 

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