hful of mammas,
always awake at the Opera, though she seemed to be always asleep; but no
dandy debauchee could deceive her vigilance, and for this reason Walker,
who disliked her (as every man naturally will, must, and should dislike
his mother-in-law), was contented to suffer her in his house to act as a
chaperon to Morgiana.

None of the young dandies ever got admission of mornings to the little
mansion in the Edgware Road; the blinds were always down; and though you
might hear Morgiana's voice half across the Park as she was practising,
yet the youthful hall-porter in the sugar-loaf buttons was instructed to
deny her, and always declared that his mistress was gone out, with the
most admirable assurance.

After some two years of her life of splendour, there were, to be sure, a
good number of morning visitors, who came with SINGLE knocks, and asked
for Captain Walker; but these were no more admitted than the dandies
aforesaid, and were referred, generally, to the Captain's office,
whither they went or not at their convenience. The only man who obtained
admission into the house was Baroski, whose cab transported him thrice
a week to the neighbourhood of Connaught Square, and who obtained ready
entrance in his professional capacity.

But even then, and much to the wicked little music-master's
disappointment, the dragon Crump was always at the piano, with her
endless worsted work, or else reading her unfailing Sunday Times; and
Baroski could only employ "de langvitch of de ice," as he called it,
with his fair pupil, who used to mimic his manner of rolling his eyes
about afterwards, and perform "Baroski in love" for the amusement of her
husband and her mamma. The former had his reasons for overlooking the
attentions of the little music-master; and as for the latter, had she
not been on the stage, and had not many hundreds of persons, in jest or
earnest, made love to her? What else can a pretty woman expect who is
much before the public? And so the worthy mother counselled her daughter
to bear these attentions with good humour, rather than to make them a
subject of perpetual alarm and quarrel.

Baroski, then, was allowed to go on being in love, and was never in the
least disturbed in his passion; and if he was not successful, at least
the little wretch could have the pleasure of HINTING that he was, and
looking particularly roguish when the Ravenswing was named, and assuring
his friends at the club, that "upon his vort