_Campbell:_ "What in the world are you talking about?"

_Mrs. Roberts:_ "Why, Edward's dress-suit, of course!"

_Mrs. Campbell:_ "Of course she is. But you always have to have things
put in words of one syllable for you."

_Campbell:_ "No irrelevant insults, Mrs. Campbell, if you please! Now,
Agnes, try to collect yourself. When you had folded his dress-suit in
tissue-paper so nicely, what did you do with it?"

_Mrs. Roberts:_ "Why, I wrapped it in my white Chuddah shawl, and put it
away back on the top shelf in his closet, and I forgot to tell him where
it was." Visible sensation on all sides. "And if Edward were to say now
that he couldn't forgive me, I should just simply fall down and worship
him."

_Campbell:_ "He can forgive you, probably, but he cannot _forget_; we
must leave _that_ to women. And here we were, searching every nook and
corner of the house, and every hole and cranny, for that dress-suit,
which you'd poked away in tissue-paper and Chuddah, while you were
enjoying yourself at Mrs. Miller's."

_Mrs. Campbell:_ "We weren't enjoying ourselves. It was the deadliest
thing that ever was, and you were very lucky to escape."

_Campbell:_ "That is all very well; but the credit of that belongs
entirely to a merciful Providence. What I want to know is how Agnes is
going to excuse herself for hiding her husband's clothes, so that if
this musicale had been the most delightful affair of the season he would
have missed it just the same."

_Mrs. Roberts_, regarding her husband's strange figure in the youthful
waistcoat and trousers: "Why, Edward, dear, what in the world have you
got on?"

_Campbell:_ "She doesn't even remember the dress-suit in which poor
Roberts first met her! Well, Agnes, you're a pretty wife and mother!
Look at that man!" He takes Roberts by the elbow and turns him round.
"Did you ever see devotion like that? He's buttoned in so tight that he
can't draw a full breath to save him, but he would have gone to the
party, if he had expired to slow music after he got there; only he
couldn't find the coat. You'd given that away."

_Mrs. Campbell_, fishing up a garment from the tempestuous sea of
clothes: "Why, here's a dress-coat, now!"

_Campbell:_ "Yes, that's Merrick's. It was rather snug for Roberts."

_Mrs. Roberts:_ "And here's another!"

_Campbell:_ "Yes, that's Baker's. It was rather roomy for Roberts."

_Mrs. Roberts:_ "But how did you get them?"

_Campbell_, lightly: "Oh, we