ad too much of it.
This Abigail, like a true lady's maid, seeing me, whom she thought a
ghost, standing bolt upright, and the two ladies stretched out, as she
supposed, dead, gave a loud and most interesting scream, ran out of the
room for her life, nearly knocking down the footman, whom she met coming
in.

This fellow, who was a country lout, the son of one of my father's
tenants, only popped his head into the door, and saw the ladies lying on
the carpet; he had probably formed no very good opinion of me from the
manner in which I had received the news of my own demise, and seemed
very much inclined to act the part of a mandarin, that is, nod his head,
and stand still.

"Desire some of the women to come here immediately," said I; "some one
that can be of use; tell them to bring salts, eau de cologne--anything.
Fly, blockhead! goose! what do you stand staring at?"

The fellow looked at me, and then at the supposed corpses, which he must
have thought I had murdered; and, either thunderstruck, or doubting
whether he had any right to obey me, kept his head inside the door and
his body outside, as he had been in the pillory. I saw that he required
some explanation, and cried out, "I am Mr Frank; will you obey me, or
shall I throw this jar at your head?" brandishing one of the china
vases.

Had I been inclined to have thrown it I should have missed him, for the
fellow was off like a wounded porpoise. Down he ran to my father in the
library: "Oh, sir--good news! bad news--good news!"

"What news fool?" said my father, rising hastily from his chair.

"Oh, sir, I don't know sir; but I believe, sir, Mr Frank is alive
again, and both the ladies _is_ dead."

My poor father, whose health and constitution had not recovered the
shock of my supposed death, tremblingly leaned over his table, on which
he rested his two hands, and desired the man to repeat what he had said.
This the fellow did, half crying, and my father, easily comprehending
the state of things, came upstairs. I would have flown into his arms,
but mine were occupied in supporting my sweet Emily, while my poor
sister lay senseless on the other side of me; for Clara's lover was not
at hand, and she still lay in abeyance.

By this time "the hands were turned up," everybody was on the alert, and
every living creature in the house, not excepting the dog, had assembled
in the drawing-room. The maids that had known me cried and sobbed most
piteously, and the newc