olent face,
and mentally contrasting it with that of Mrs. Mudge, whose shrill voice
could be heard form below, he was seized with a sudden desire to learn
something of her past history.

"How long have you been here, Aunt Lucy?" he inquired.

She looked up from her knitting, and sighed as she answered, "A long and
weary time to look back upon, Paul. I have been here ten years."

"Ten years," repeated Paul, thoughtfully, "and I am thirteen. So you
have been here nearly all my lifetime. Has Mr. Mudge been here all that
time?"

"Only the last two years. Before that we had Mrs. Perkins."

"Did she treat you any better than Mrs. Mudge?"

"Any better than Mrs. Mudge!" vociferated that lady, who had ascended
the stairs without being heard by Aunt Lucy of Paul, and had thus
caught the last sentence. "Any better than Mrs. Mudge!" she repeated,
thoroughly provoked. "So you've been talking about me, you trollop, have
you? I'll come up with you, you may depend upon that. That's to pay for
my giving you tea Sunday night, is it? Perhaps you'll get some more.
It's pretty well in paupers conspiring together because they aint
treated like princes and princesses. Perhaps you'd like to got boarded
with Queen Victoria."

The old lady sat very quiet during this tirade. She had been the subject
of similar invective before, and knew that it would do no good to oppose
Mrs. Mudge in her present excited state.

"I don't wonder you haven't anything to say," said the infuriated dame.
"I should think you'd want to hide your face in shame, you trollop."

Paul was not quite so patient as his attendant. Her kindness had
produced such an impression on him, that Mrs. Mudge, by her taunts,
stirred up his indignation.

"She's no more of a trollop than you are," said he, with spirit.

Mrs. Mudge whirled round at this unexpected attack, and shook her fist
menacingly at Paul--

"So, you've put in your oar, you little jackanapes," said she, "If
you're well enough to be impudent you're well enough to go to work.
You aint a goin' to lie here idle much longer, I can tell you. If
you deceive Dr. Townsend, and make him believe you're sick, you can't
deceive me. No doubt you feel mighty comfortable, lyin' here with
nothing to do, while I'm a slavin' myself to death down stairs, waitin'
upon you; (this was a slight exaggeration, as Aunt Lucy took the entire
charge of Paul, including the preparation of his food;) but you'd better
make the most of it, f