Miss Virginia E. Otis was a girl of fifteen. She was slim and lovely as a baby deer, and she had large blue eyes. She was fond of sport. Once she had a race on her pony against old Lord Bilton. It was twice round Hyde park, and she won by several yards at the finish by the Achilles statue.

The young Duke of Cheshire thought she was delightful and he immediately proposed to her. Because of this his guardians sent him back to Eton at once, even though he cried about going.

After Virginia there were the twins, who were usually called The Stars and Stripes, because they were often on the end of a stick when their father beat them for being naughty.

They were delightful boys, and like their father the Ambassador, they were not impressed by people just because they were aristocrats.

Canterville Chase is seven miles from Ascot, which is the nearest railway station. Therefore Mr Otis had telegraphed for a waggonette to meet them. Everyone was in a good mood as they started on their journey to their new home.

It was a lovely July evening, and the air had the lovely smell of the pine trees in the woods. Sometimes they heard the voices of the birds calling softly, or saw, deep in the ferns, the shining feathers of a pheasant.