Rose hung on Aticus's arm as he led her into the dining room,

" I know we only saw each other yesterday," she said " but I've missed you terribly. I'm so excited about getting to know your parents, they seem like nice people. Do you think they'll like me?"

" Im sure they will. My mother already thinks you're delightful and she's only met you once, besides how could anyone dislike you?" Rose smiled up at him, Aticus noticed

the rose in her a hair, " I'm glad you like the rose I bought you," he remarked,

" I've already had a complement on it from cousin Cora, she said it was ' very pretty' and she asked me were I had bought it, I said it was a present form you, then she said that you ' must be a charming young man'."

" That gives me some confidence."

" It should."

Rose and Aticus sat down next to each other at the table, " I feel rather nervous."

Whispered Aticus to Rose, " Don't be," she replied, " I know that Cora and Robert will like you. Anyway they're not my parents."

" Thank goodness, I don't know how I'll ever be able to face them."

" Im sure that my father won't say anything against you."

"What about your mother?"

"Well, we don't need to worry about that now."

" Lady Mary did very well in the point to point," began Aticus after a pause " the first woman back is quite an achievement."

" Yes, I don't envy any woman who goes up against Mary! I thought that you did awfully well too, I kept watching you until you past the finish."

" Really? I didn't think sixth was very good. Not that I expected to come first or anything, I'm not a brilliant rider, I never had much chance to practice. Can you ride?

" Yes, I haven't ridden for ages but I used to do it all the time as a girl at Duneagle."

" What's Duneagle like?"

" I suppose it's rather beautiful, but I always found it pretty dull. There isn't any civilisation for miles around, but the Gillies Ball Is good fun, I do love reeling, actually I adore almost any sort of dancing."

" I enjoy dancing, but I'm not terribly good at it I'm afraid."

" I don't think it matters how good your partner is as long as you get on with them. It's far better to dance with an amusing man than a boring one, even if he is standing on your toes!"

" I hope that I am amusing then, otherwise I'm hopeless."

" Of course you are.I should love to dance with you, it feels rather odd, I usually dance with a man before I get a chance to talk to him, It feels as if we're doing it all the wrong way round."

" Perhaps it's not a bad thing to be doing things differently."

" No, I don't think it is. My parents did everything properly and they're not a bit happy."

" Rose," called Mary, from a few seats away, " do you still want to know the name of that shop in London that I told you about ?..."

And so the little talk ended and Rose and Aticus were forced to tare their attention away from each other and join the rest of the world in polite conversation.