"the dress which i found waiting for me was of a peculiar shade of blue. it was of excellent material, a sort of beige, but it bore unmistakable signs of having been worn before. it could not have been a better fit if i had been measured for it. both mr. and mrs. rucastle expressed a delight at the look of it, which seemed quite exaggerated in its vehemence. they were waiting for me in the drawing-room, which is a very large room, stretching along the entire front of the house, with three long windows reaching down to the floor. a chair had been placed close to the central window, with its back turned towards it. in this i was asked to sit, and then mr. rucastle, walking up and down on the other side of the room, began to tell me a series of the funniest stories that i have ever listened to. you cannot imagine how comical he was, and i laughed until i was quite weary. mrs. rucastle, however, who has evidently no sense of humour, never so much as smiled, but sat with her hands in her lap, and a sad, anxious look upon her face. after an hour or so, mr. rucastle suddenly remarked that it was time to commence the duties of the day, and that i might change my dress and go to little edward in the nursery.