what have you been doing?'

'Badger-baiting.'

And here he proceeded to give a particular account of his sport, and the
respective traits of prowess evinced by the badger and the dogs; my
mother pretending to listen with deep attention, and watching his
animated countenance with a degree of maternal admiration I thought
highly disproportioned to its object.

'It's time you should be doing something else, Fergus,' said I, as soon
as a momentary pause in his narration allowed me to get in a word.

'What can I do?' replied he; 'my mother won't let me go to sea or enter
the army; and I'm determined to do nothing else--except make myself such
a nuisance to you all, that you will be thankful to get rid of me on any
terms.'

Our parent soothingly stroked his stiff, short curls. He growled, and
tried to look sulky, and then we all took our seats at the table, in
obedience to the thrice-repeated summons of Rose.

'Now take your tea,' said she; 'and I'll tell you what I've been doing.
I've been to call on the Wilsons; and it's a thousand pities you didn't
go with me, Gilbert, for Eliza Millward was there!'

'Well! what of her?'

'Oh, nothing!--I'm not going to tell you about her;--only that she's a
nice, amusing little thing, when she is in a merry humour, and I
shouldn't mind calling her--'

'Hush, hush, my dear! your brother has no such idea!' whispered my mother
earnestly, holding up her finger.

'Well,' resumed Rose; 'I was going to tell you an important piece of news
I heard there--I have been bursting with it ever since. You know it was
reported a month ago, that somebody was going to take Wildfell
Hall--and--what do you think? It has actually been inhabited above a
week!--and we never knew!'

'Impossible!' cried my mother.

'Preposterous!!!' shrieked Fergus.

'It has indeed!--and by a single lady!'

'Good gracious, my dear! The place is in ruins!'

'She has had two or three rooms made habitable; and there she lives, all
alone--except an old woman for a servant!'

'Oh, dear! that spoils it--I'd hoped she was a witch,' observed Fergus,
while carving his inch-thick slice of bread and butter. 'Nonsense,
Fergus! But isn't it strange, mamma?'

'Strange! I can hardly believe it.'

'But you may believe it; for Jane Wilson has seen her. She went with her
mother, who, of course, when she heard of a stranger being in the
neighbourhood, would be on pins and needles till she had seen her and got
all she