Mrs.Sclater， late Mrs.Bonniman， was the widow of a merchant who had made his money in foreign trade， and to her house Mr.Sclater had flitted when he married her.She was a well-bred woman， much the superior of her second husband in the small duties and graces of social life， and， already a sufferer in some of his not very serious grossi鑢et閟， regarded with no small apprehension the arrival of one in whom she expected the same kind of thing in largely exaggerated degree.She did not much care to play the mother to a bear cub， she said to her friends， with a good-humoured laugh."Just think，" she added， "with such a childhood as the poor boy had， what a mass of vulgarity must be lying in that uncultivated brain of his！ It is no small mercy， as Mr.Sclater says， that our ears at least are safe.
Poor boy！"--She was a woman of about forty， rather tall， of good complexion tending to the ruddy， with black smooth shining hair parted over a white forehead， black eyes， nose a little aquiline， good mouth， and fine white teeth--altogether a handsome woman--some notion of whose style may be gathered from the fact that， upon the testimony of her cheval glass， she preferred satin to the richest of silks， and almost always wore it.Now and then she would attempt a change， but was always defeated and driven back into satin.She was precise in her personal rules， but not stiff in the manners wherein she embodied them： these were indeed just a little florid and wavy， a trifle profuse in their grace.She kept an excellent table， and every appointment about the house was in good style--a favourite phrase with her.She was her own housekeeper， an exact mistress， but considerate， so that her servants had no bad time of it.She was sensible， kind， always responsive to appeal， had scarcely a thread of poetry or art in her upper texture， loved fair play， was seldom in the wrong， and never confessed it when she was.But when she saw it， she took some pains to avoid being so in a similar way again.She held hard by her own opinion； was capable of a mild admiration of truth and righteousness in another； had one or two pet commandments to which she paid more attention than to the rest； was a safe member of society， never carrying tales； was kind with condescension to the poor， and altogether a good wife for a minister of Mr.Sclater's sort.She knew how to hold her own with any who would have established superiority.A little more coldness， pride， indifference， and careless restraint， with just a touch of rudeness， would have given her the freedom of the best society， if she could have got into it.Altogether it would not have been easy to find one who could do more for Gibbie in respect for the social rapports that seemed to await him.Even some who would gladly themselves have undertaken the task， admitted that he might have fallen into much less qualified hands.Her husband was confident that， if anybody could， his wife would make a gentleman of Sir Gilbert； and he ought to know， for she had done a good deal of polishing upon him.
She was now seated on a low chair at the other side of the fire， leaning back at a large angle， slowly contemplating out of her black eyes the lad on the footstool， whose blue eyes she saw wandering about the room， in a manner neither vague nor unintelligent， but showing more of interest than of either surprise or admiration.
