Her hair, beneath the hat, was bright gold, her cheeks were the brightest pink and her eyes sparkled in a most lovely and fascinating manner.She was immensely interesting to Maggie, who had never, in her life, dreamed of anything so dazzling.She was very restless and animated and self-conscious.There sat at her side a stout and solemn woman, who was evidently from a strange, almost ironical likeness her mother.The young lady seemed to regard both the place and the occasion as the greatest joke in the world.She flung her eyes from one to another as though inviting some one to share her merriment.
Amongst that black-garbed assembly the blue dress shone out as though it would attract everything to itself."She's very pretty,"thought Maggie, who was more conscious of her shabby clothes than ever.But her chief feeling was of surprise that so brilliant a bird had been able to penetrate into the chapel at all."She must be a stranger just come out of curiosity." Then the girl's eyes suddenly met Maggie's and held them; the brilliant creature smiled and Maggie smiled in return.She looked afterwards at Aunt Anne, but Aunt Anne, buried in her book of devotions, had seen nothing.
Suddenly, after a strange wheeze and muffled scream, the harmonium began.Every one looked up expectantly; Mr.Warlock, alone, appeared from a door at the right of the screen and took his place behind the desk.