Carrack had sat stately and aloof, with an inkling in her brain
that all this mirthful tumult was not entirely in the nature of a
complimentary tribute to her son.

"I think," she said, with haughty severity of aspect, "my son was
perfectly right. It was a sinful and a wicked adventure at the best, as
the Reverend Strawbery Hyson clearly showed from the fourth Revelations,
in his last annual discourse to the young ladies of the church."

"He did, so he did," said Mr. Tiffany, stroking his chin, "I remember
perfectly: it was very prettily stated by Hyson."

"The Reverend Strawbery Hyson," said Mrs. Carrack. "Always give that
excellent man his full title. What would you say, my son, if he should
appear in the streets without his black coat and white cravat? Would you
have any confidence in his preaching after that?"

"Next to myself," answered Mr. Tiffany, "I think our parson's the
best-dressed man in Boston."

"He should be, as an example," said Mrs. Carrack. "He has a very genteel
congregation."

Old Sylvester, who had on at that moment an old brown coat and a frayed
black ribbon for a neck-cloth, ordered Mopsey to send the two best pies
in the house immediately to the negroes in the Hills. Mrs. Carrack
smiled loftily, and drew from her pocket an elegant small silver vial of
the pure otto of rose, and applied it to her nostrils as though
something disagreeable had just struck upon the air and tainted it.

"By the way," said Mr. Tiffany Carrack, adjusting his shirt collar, "how
is my little friend Miriam?"

"Melancholy!" was the only answer any one had to make.

"So I thought," pursued Mr. Carrack, rolling his eyes and heaving an
infant sigh from his bosom. "Poor thing, no wonder, if she thought I was
gone away so far. She shall be comforted."

Mopsey looking in at this moment, gave the summons to tea, which was
answered by Mr. Tiffany Carrack's offering his arm, impressively, to his
excellent mother, and leading the way to the table.

It was observed, that in his progress to the tea-table, Mr. Tiffany
adopted a tottering and uncertain step, indicating a dilapidated old
age, only kept together by the clothes he wore, which was altogether
unintelligible to the Peabody family, seeing that Mr. Carrack was in the
very prime of youth, till Mrs. Carrack remarked, with an affectionate
smile of motherly pride:

"You remind me more and more every day, Tiff, of that dear delightful
old Baden-Baden."

"I wish the g