Horton: and
turning to the servant, "Do you know what your lady had on?"

"Yes, Madam," replied the man, "she was in men's clothes."

"How!" cried Lord Elmwood.

"You tell a story, to be sure," said Mrs. Horton to the servant.

"No," cried Sandford, "I am sure he does not; for he is an honest good
young man, and would not tell a lie upon any account--would you, George?"

Lord Elmwood ordered Miss Milner's woman to be again sent up. She came.

"In what dress did your lady go to the masquerade?" asked he, and with a
look so extremely morose, it seemed to command the answer in a single
word, and that word to be truth.

A mind, with a spark of sensibility more than this woman possessed,
could not have equivocated with such an interrogator, but her reply was,
"She went in her own dress, my Lord."

"Was it a man's or a woman's?" asked he, with a look of the same
command.

"Ha, ha, my Lord," (half laughing and half crying) "a woman's dress, to
be sure, my Lord."

On which Sandford cried----

"Call the footman up, and let him confront her."

He was called; but Lord Elmwood, now disgusted at the scene, withdrew to
the further end of the room, and left Sandford to question them.

With all the authority and consequence of a country magistrate,
Sandford--his back to the fire, and the witnesses before him, began with
the footman.

"In what dress do you say, that you saw your lady, when you attended,
and went along with her, to the masquerade?"

"In men's clothes," replied the man, boldly and firmly as before.

"Bless my soul, George, how can you say such a thing?" cried the woman.

"What dress do _you_ say she went in?" cried Sandford to her.

"In women's clothes, indeed, Sir."

"This is very odd!" said Mrs. Horton.

"Had she on, or had she not on, a coat?" asked Sandford.

"Yes, Sir, a petticoat," replied the woman.

"Do _you_ say she had on a petticoat?" said Sandford to the man.

"I can't answer exactly for that," replied he, "but I know she had boots
on."

"They were not boots," replied the maid with vehemence--"indeed, Sir,
(turning to Sandford) they were only half boots."

"My girl," said Sandford kindly to her, "your own evidence convicts your
mistress--What has a woman to do with _any_ boots?"

Impatient at this mummery, Lord Elmwood rose, ordered the servants out
of the room, and then, looking at his watch, found it was near one. "At
what hour am I to expect her home?" said he.

"Perhaps no