The Dashwoods were a very selfish family in nature, as I had discovered soon after I was placed in their home. Mrs. John Dashwood's tastes leaned toward the extravagant, and I had been imported directly from Italy. The mistress had directed one of her maids to place my gold lined canvas prominently in the drawing room.

The Dashwoods had recently invited two young girls to stay with them, the Miss Steeles. Mrs. Dashwood appeared to be quite fond of them, almost excessively so. For their part, the Miss Steeles were also rather overzealous in their compliments of the Mrs. Dashwood's residence, children, and overall disposition.

But a certain event relating to the Steeles visit is one so remarkable that I thought it worth retelling.

As I mentioned, I reside in the drawing-room, which is quite a lovely place for one so interested in gossip such as I. The elder Miss Steele, Anne, was conversing quite happily with her hostess when she made a comment that alarmed the latter considerably:

"And with the engagement, I expect you will see my sister quite frequently afterward."

At this juncture, a staggered Mrs. Dashwood asked her young acquaintance what she had meant. Miss Steele was quick to explain that she had been, of course, referring to the secret engagement between her own younger sister, Lucy Steele, and Mrs. Dashwood's brother, Edward. And Mrs. Dashwood's response to Miss Steele's calm explanation was most entertaining.

She stood quite quickly, and for a moment I thought she might faint, which would not have been humorous at all. But to my perverse delight, she let out a scream so high in pitch that I was mightily surprised the drawing room windows failed to crack. Miss Anne Steele looked quite discomposed, and I could hear the clatter of Mr. John Dashwood as he ascended to the drawing-room, where he found his wife and her guest.

I laugh to think of the expression on his face when he saw his wife, standing in the middle of the drawing room, yelling about propriety and decorum, all while maintaining none of either. He was quite appalled, and hurried to his beloved's side to entreat her to tell him her concern. She had scarcely done so when the second Miss Steele entered, from the direction of young Harry's nursery.

And the mistress fixed her with such a terrible stare! Miss Anne Steele began to sob, and she looked near fainting herself, though no one seemed to pay her much mind.

The mistress, who was still quite uncomposed, to put it kindly, shrieked at her youngest houseguest. I myself watched with amusement as Miss Lucy Steele, who did not bore well against the mistress's remonstrations, raised a hand to her pale forehead and attempted to look ill. She appeared more frightened than ill to me. For his part, Mr. Dashwood paced the room, telling the thin air that he did not know what to do. This statement was quite unnecessary, as the Steele girls were quite preoccupied with their own self-pity, and his wife was on another thought entirely.

Mrs. Dashwood proceeded to announce to the room at large that she did not intend to stay at Harley Street, and wished to vacate immediately. Her own husband could scarcely persuade her to stay to pack. She soon set into hysterics again, and she carried on like this until a maid came to inform them of the carriage's arrival. I was quite sad to see them go, but enjoyed the sight of a barely upright Mrs. Dashwood leaving her own drawing-room in complete disgrace.

I rather hoped they would return, as I was rather curious about the outcome of the entire incident.