our
master's turned teetotaller."

Juniper replied to this by opening his eyes very wide, and giving
utterance to a prolonged whistle.

"Teetottaller!" at last he exclaimed; "and pray how long has he taken to
this new fashion?"

"Not many weeks," was the reply.

"And how many weeks do you think he'll stick to it?"

"A great many, I hope," replied the housekeeper; "for I'm sure there's
neither pleasure nor profit where the drink gets the master. It's
driven poor Jacob away."

"And who may poor Jacob be?"

"Why, as nice, and steady, and hearty a lad as ever I set eyes on, Mr
Graves. He was master's first groom and gardener. He came out in the
same ship with master and Mr Hubert Oliphant. Mr Frank saved Jacob
from being drowned, and the young man stayed with him here, and worked
for him with all his heart till the drink drove him away, for he was a
teetotaller, as he used to say of himself, to the back-bone."

"Well, Mrs Watson," said Graves, "it isn't for me to be contradicting
you, but, for my part, I never could abide these teetottallers. What
with their tea and their coffee, their lemonade and ginger beer, and
other wishy-washy, sour stuffs--why, the very thought of them's enough
to cause an involution of one's suggestive organs."

But what was he to do? Drink there was none in the house, and he was
too crafty to make any direct request for its introduction; but, "as
sure as my name's Juniper," he said to himself, "Mr Frank shall break
off this nonsense afore I'm a month older; it won't suit him, I know,
and I'm certain sure it won't suit me."

So he submitted to the unfermented beverages of the establishment with
as good a grace as he could, turning over in his mind how he should
accomplish his object. He had not to wait long. The drunken cottager
who had formerly supplied Frank with spirits, was of course not best
pleased to lose so good a customer, for he had taken care to make a very
handsome profit on the liquors which he had supplied. It so happened
that this man lighted on Juniper one day near his master's house, and a
very few minutes' conversation made the groom acquainted with the former
connection between this cottager and Frank Oldfield.

"Ho, ho!" laughed Juniper to himself. "I have it now. Good-bye to
teetottalism. We'll soon put an end to him."

So bidding his new acquaintance keep himself out of sight and hold his
tongue, for he'd soon manage to get back his master's custom to