is the kitchen chimney on
fire? eh! What do I behold! Fairlegh, lightly and elegantly attired in
nothing but his shirt, and Thomas standing like Niobe, the picture of
woe! Here's a sight for a father!"

"Why, it's a bad job," said Coleman; "do you know, here's another case
of pilfering; Fairlegh has had all his trousers stolen in the night."

"You don't say so!" rejoined Lawless: "what is to be done? It must be
stopped somehow: we had better tell him all we know about it. Thomas,
leave the room."

Thomas obeyed, giving me a look of great intelligence, the meaning of
which, however, I was totally at a loss to conceive, as he went; and
Lawless continued:--

"I am afraid you will hardly believe us,--it is really a most unheard-of
thing,--but we have lately missed a great many of our clothes, and we
have every reason to suspect (I declare I can scarcely bear to mention
it) that Mildman takes them himself, fancying, of course, that, placed
by his position so entirely above suspicion, he may do it with
impunity. We have suspected this for some time; and lately one or two
circumstances--old clothesmen having been observed leaving his study, a
pawn-ticket falling out of his waistcoat pocket one day as he went out
of our parlour, etc.--have put the matter beyond a doubt; but he has
never gone to such an extent as this before. Mind you don't mention a
word of this to Thomas, for, bad as ~15~~Mildman is, one would not wish
to show him up before his own servant."

"Good gracious!" cried I, "but you are joking, it never can be
really true!" Reading, however, in the solemn, not to say distressed,
expression of their faces indisputable evidence of the reality of the
accusation, I continued: "I had no idea such things ever could take
place, and he a clergyman, too!--dreadful! but what in the world am I
to do? I have not got a pair of trousers to put on. Oh! if he would
but have taken anything else, even my watch instead, I should not have
minded--what shall I do?"

"Why really," replied Coleman, "it is not so easy to advise: you can't
go down as you are, that's certain. Suppose you were to wrap yourself up
in a blanket, and go and tell him you have found him out, and that you
will call a policeman if he does not give you your clothes instantly;
have it out with him fairly, and check the thing effectually once for
all--eh?"

"No, that won't do," said Lawless. "I should say, sit down quietly (how
cold you must be!) and write hi