She had pleasant and quite regular features, for a girl of fifteen, with dark hair and eyes--the "Merrick eyes," her mother proudly declared--and a complexion denoting perfect health and colored with the rosy tints of youth. Her figure was a bit slim and unformed, and her shoulders stooped a little more than was desirable; but in Cloverton Elizabeth had the reputation of being "a pretty girl," and a sullen and unresponsive one as well.