d up to the ceiling, and his mouth wide
open. His loving family--minus Tilly and Jacky, who were abed--
encircled the table, variously employed; and George stood at his elbow,
fastening up a pair of bookshelves of primitive construction, coupled
together by means of green cord.

While thus domestically employed, they heard a loud, steady thumping
outside. The Sudberrys were well acquainted by this time with that
sound and its cause. At first it had filled Mrs Sudberry with great
alarm, raising in her feeble mind horrible reminiscences of tales of
burglary and midnight murder. After suffering inconceivable torments of
apprehension for two nights, the good lady could stand it no longer, and
insisted on her husband going out to see what it could be. As the sound
appeared to come from the cottage, or off-shoot from the White House, in
which the McAllisters lived, he naturally went there, and discovered
that the noise was caused by the stoutest of the two servant-girls.
This sturdy lass, whose costume displayed a pair of enormous ankles to
advantage, and exhibited a pair of arms that might have made a
prize-fighter envious, was standing in the middle of the floor, with a
large iron pot before her and a thick wooden pin in her hands, with the
end of which she was, according to her own statement, "champin'
tatties."

Mrs McAllister, her son, Hugh and Dan, and the other servant-girl, were
seated round the walls of the room, watching the process with deep
interest, for their supper was in that pot. The nine dogs were also
seated round the room, watching the process with melancholy interest;
for their supper was _not_ in that pot, and they knew it, and wished it
was.

"My dear," said Mr Sudberry, on returning to the parlour, "they are
`champing tatties.'"

"What?"

"`Champing tatties,' in other words, mashing potatoes, which it would
seem, with milk, constitute the supper of the family."

Thus was Mrs Sudberry's mind relieved, and from that night forward no
further notice was taken of the sound.

But on the present occasion the champing of the tatties had an unwonted
effect on Mr Sudberry. It caused him to dream, and his dreams
naturally took a pugilistic turn. His breathing became quick and short;
his face began to twitch; and Lucy suggested that it would be as well to
"awake papa," when papa suddenly awaked himself; and hit George a
tremendous blow on the shoulder.

"Hallo! father," cried George remonstrative