viously could not roam the world to
any extent, a runaway schoolboy to all appearance, and with less than a
sovereign in his pocket!

After a short struggle, he felt he must make his way in, watch and wait,
and leave the rest to chance. It was his evil fate, after all, that had
led him on to make his escape on this night of all others, and had
allowed him to come through so much, only to be met with these
unforeseen complications just when he might have imagined the worst was
over.

He forced his way through the staring crowd, and went down the steps
into the area; for he naturally shrank from braving the front door, with
its crowd of footmen and hired waiters.

He found the door in the basement open, which was fortunate, and slipped
quietly through the pantry, intending to reach the hall by the kitchen
stairs. But here another check met him. The glass door which led to the
stairs happened to be shut, and he heard voices in the kitchen, which
convinced him that if he wished to escape notice he must wait quietly in
the darkness until the door was opened for him, whenever that might be.

The door from the pantry to the kitchen was partly open, however, and
Mr. Bultitude could not avoid hearing everything that passed there,
although every fresh word added to his uneasiness, until at last he
would have given worlds to escape from his involuntary position of
eavesdropper.

There were only two persons just then in the kitchen: his cook, who,
still in her working dress, was refreshing herself after her labours
over the supper with a journal of some sort, and the housemaid, who, in
neat gala costume, was engaged in fastening a pin more securely in her
white cap.

"They haven't give me a answer yet, Eliza," said the cook, looking up
from her paper.

"Lor, cook!" said Eliza, "you couldn't hardly expect it, seeing you only
wrote on Friday."

"No more I did, Eliza. You see it on'y began to come into my mind sudden
like this last week. I'm sure I no more dreamt----. But they've answered
a lady who's bin in much the same situation as me aperiently. You just
'ark to this a minute." And she proceeded to read from her paper:
"'_Lady Bird._--You ask us (1) what are the signs by which you may
recognise the first dawnings of your lover's affection. On so delicate a
matter we are naturally averse from advising you; your own heart must be
your best guide. But perhaps we may mention a few of the most usual and
infallible symptoms'-