d been deferred till the family should be in town, and
that she had no guest but John, who was very sorry to see how weary and
exhausted she looked, as if it was a positive effort to sit at the head
of the table.

When the two brothers came up to the drawing-room, they found her on the
sofa.

'Regularly done for!' said Arthur, sitting down by her. 'You ought to
have gone to bed, you perverse woman.'

'I shall come to life after tea,' said she, beginning to rise as signs
of its approach were heard.

'Lie still, I say,' returned Arthur, settling the cushion. 'Do you think
no one can make tea but yourself! Out with the key, and lie still.'

'I hope, Violet,' said John, 'you did not think the Red Republicans had
been in your drawers and boxes. I am afraid Arthur may have cast the
blame of his own doings on the absent, though I assure you I did my best
to protect them.'

'Indeed he did you more justice,' said Violet, 'he told me the box was
your setting to rights, and the drawer his. It was very honest of him,
for I must say the box did you most credit.'

'As to the drawer,' said Arthur, 'I wish I had put it into the fire at
once! Those accounts are a monomania! She has been worse from the day
she got hold of that book of hers again, and the absurd part of it is
that these are all bills that she pays!'

'Oh! they are all comfortable now,' said Violet.

'And what did you say to Arthur's bold stroke!' said John.

'Oh! I never laughed more in my life.'

'Ah ha'' said Arthur, 'it was all my admirable sagacity! Why, John, the
woman was an incubus saddled upon us by Miss Standaloft, that this poor
silly child did not know how to get rid of, though she was cheating us
out of house and home. Never were such rejoicings as when she found the
Old Man of the Sea was gone!'

'It is quite a different thing now,' said Violet. 'Nurse found me such
a nice niece of her own, who does not consume as much in a fortnight
as that dreadful woman did in a week. Indeed, my great book has some
satisfaction in it now.'

'And yet he accuses it of having thrown you back.'

'Everything does that!' said Arthur. 'She will extract means of tiring
herself out of anything--pretends to be well, and then is good for
nothing!'

'Arthur! Arthur! do you know what you are doing with the tea?' cried
Violet, starting up. He has put in six shellfuls for three people, and
a lump of sugar, and now was shutting up the unfortunate teapot
without one dro