e a coal jumped out close by Theo. You
may sneer, sir, but these things are not to be despised. Did I not see
you distinctly coming back from Minorca, and dream of you at the very
day and hour when you were wounded in Scotland?"

"How many times have you seen me wounded, when I had not a scratch, my
dear? How many times have you seen me ill when I had no sort of hurt?
You are always prophesying, and 'twere very hard on you if you were not
sometimes right. Come! Let us leave our guest asleep comfortably, and go
down and give the girls their French lesson."

So saying, the honest gentleman put his wife's arm under his, and they
descended together the broad oak staircase of the comfortable old
hall, round which hung the effigies of many foregone Lamberts, worthy
magistrates, soldiers, country gentlemen, as was the Colonel whose
acquaintance we have just made. The Colonel was a gentleman of pleasant,
waggish humour. The French lesson which he and his daughters conned
together was a scene out of Monsieur Moliere's comedy of "Tartuffe,"
and papa was pleased to be very facetious with Miss Theo, by calling
her Madam, and by treating her with a great deal of mock respect and
ceremony. The girls read together with their father a scene or two of
his favourite author (nor were they less modest in those days, though
their tongues were a little more free), and papa was particularly arch
and funny as he read from Orgon's part in that celebrated play:

"ORGON.
Or sus, nous voila bien. J'ai, Mariane, en vous
Reconnu de tout temps un esprit assez doux,
Et de tout temps aussi vous m'avez ete chere.

MARIANE.
Je suis fort redevable a cet amour de pere.

ORGON.
Fort bien. Que dites-vous de Tartuffe notre hote?

MARIANE.
Qui? Moi?

ORGON.
Vous. Voyez bien comme vous repondrez.

MARIANE.
Helas! J'en dirai, moi, tout ce que vous voudrez!

(Mademoiselle Mariane laughs and blushes in spite of herself, whilst
reading this line.)

ORGON.
C'est parler sagement. Dites-moi donc, ma fille,
Qu'en toute sa personne un haut merite brille,
Qu'il touche votre coeur, et qu'il vous seroit doux
De le voir par men choix devenir votre epoux!"

"Have we not read the scene prettily, Elmire?" says the Colonel,
laughing, and turning round to his wife.

Elmira prodigiously admired Orgon's reading, and so did his daughters,
and almost everything besides which Mr. Lambert said or did. Canst thou,
O friend