Miss Mackenzie

"There, my Lady Ball," said Mrs Mackenzie, whispering into her cousin's ear before they left the church; "now my prophecy has come true; and when we meet in London next spring, you will reward me for all I have done for you by walking out of a room before me."

Plot closes as prophecy of Lady Ball precedence — heiress-suitor war resolved as title comedy — so plot scores 85.

At the age of nineteen, I may almost say that Margaret Mackenzie was ungainly. Her brown hair was rough, and did not form itself into equal lengths. Her cheek-bones were somewhat high, after the manner of the Mackenzies. She was thin and straggling in her figure, with bones larger than they should have been for purposes of youthful grace.

Heroine introduced as ungainly inventory — cast refuses beauty-plot defaults — so cast scores 86.

Miss Mackenzie, before she left Gower Street, was forced to make some arrangements as to her affairs at Littlebath, and these were ultimately settled in a manner that was not altogether palatable to her. Mr Rubb was again sent down, having Susanna in his charge, and he was empowered to settle with Miss Mackenzie's landlady and give up the lodgings.

Mid-book logistics of giving up Littlebath — pace as property choreography among suitors — so pace scores 83.

I fear I must trouble my reader with some few details as to the early life of Miss Mackenzie,--details which will be dull in the telling, but which shall be as short as I can make them. Her father, who had in early life come from Scotland to London, had spent all his days in the service of his country. He became a clerk in Somerset House at the age of sixteen

Promised dullness as comic contract — clerk-Somerset House prose — so prose scores 85.

John Ball, baronet, of the Cedars, Twickenham. The young Mackenzies, therefore, had reason to be proud of their blood. It is true that Sir John Ball was the first baronet, and that he had simply been a political Lord Mayor in strong political days,--a political Lord Mayor in the leather business

Wholesale leather cleaned by baronetcy — respectability world as trade laundering — so world scores 84.

I fear I must trouble my reader with some few details as to the early life of Miss Mackenzie,--details which will be dull in the telling, but which shall be as short as I can make them.

Anti-hook of dull genealogy — comedy starts by refusing dazzle — so hook scores 86.

Things had not been going well with Mr Maguire when, as a last chance, he attempted to force an entrance into Mrs Mackenzie's drawing-room. Things, indeed, had been going very badly with him. Mr Stumfold at Littlebath had had an interview with the editor of the _Christian Examiner_, and had made that provincial Jupiter understand that he must drop the story of the Lion and the Lamb.

Press-scandal 'Lion and Lamb' killed by provincial Jupiter — evangelical satire as plot engine — so innov scores 83.

Sir John Ball, I cannot say; but gentlemen, when they get married at fifty, are not expected to be graceful. "There, my Lady Ball," said Mrs Mackenzie, whispering into her cousin's ear before they left the church; "now my prophecy has come true

Ungraceful fifty-year marriage sealed by Lady Ball whisper — ending as comic fulfilment — so ending scores 86.