er?" says I in
wonder. "Can't you understand de vort, ven I say it?" says the testy
old gentleman. "Vell, veil, a Lort!" Sir, Miles indeed was the obedient
humble servant of the Minister, whoever he might be. I am surprised he
did not speak English with a Scotch accent during the first favourite's
brief reign. I saw him and his wife coming from court, when Mrs.
Claypool was presented to her Majesty on her marriage. I had my little
boy on my shoulder. My uncle and aunt stared resolutely at me from their
gilt coach window. The footmen looked blank over their nosegays. Had I
worn the Fairy's cap and been invisible, my father's brother could not
have passed me with less notice.

We did not avail ourselves much, or often, of that queer invitation
of Lady Castlewood, to go and drink tea and sup with her ladyship
when there was no other company. Old Van den Bosch, however shrewd his
intellect, and great his skill in making a fortune, was not amusing
in conversation, except to his daughter, who talked household and City
matters, bulling and bearing, raising and selling farming-stock, and
so forth, quite as keenly and shrewdly as her father. Nor was my Lord
Castlewood often at home, or much missed by his wife when absent, or
very much at ease in the old father's company. The Countess told all
this to my wife in her simple way. "Guess," says she, "my lord and
father don't pull well together nohow. Guess my lord is always wanting
money, and father keeps the key of the box and quite right, too. If he
could have the fingering of all our money, my lord would soon make
away with it, and then what's to become of our noble family? We pay
everything, my dear (except play-debts, and them we won't have nohow).
We pay cooks, horses, wine-merchants, tailors, and everybody--and lucky
for them too--reckon my lord wouldn't pay 'em! And we always take care
that he has a guinea in his pocket, and goes out like a real nobleman.
What that man do owe to us: what he did before we come--gracious
goodness only knows! Me and father does our best to make him
respectable: but it's no easy job, my dear. Law! he'd melt the plate,
only father keeps the key of the strong-room; and when we go to
Castlewood, my father travels with me, and papa is armed too, as well as
the people."

"Gracious heavens!" cries my wife, "your ladyship does not mean to say
you suspect your own husband of a desire to----"

"To what?--Oh no, nothing, of course! And I would trust ou