inished with a glance round the handsomely furnished room, ready to
be down upon a speck of dust. But the place was scrupulously well kept;
even the great bay window, looking out upon sloping green lawn, flower
beds, and clumps of evergreens, backed up by a wall of firs, was
perfectly clean. So Miss Matilda preened her feathers, frowned, and
waited the return of Edward with a locked wallet of leather, bearing the
Rea crest--a peacock with expanded tail, the motto "_Floreat
majestas_"--and, in large letters on the brass plate, the words, "Sir
Hampton Rea, Tolcarne."

"Place it beside Sir Hampton's chair, Edward," said Miss Matilda.

The wallet was duly deposited in the indicated place.

"Now bring in the urn, Edward."

"Please, 'm, Sir Hampton said it was to come in at nine punctually, and
it wants a quarter."

"Then go and be quite ready to fill it, Edward," said Miss Matilda, not
daring to interfere with the Mede-like laws of the master of the house.

And Edward departed to finish his own breakfast, and confide to the cook
his determination that if that old tabby was to be always worriting him
to death, he would give warning.

Miss Matilda gave another look round, and then going to the end of the
hearthrug, she very delicately lifted up the corner of a thick wool
antimacassar, when a little, sharp, black nose peeped up, and a pair of
full black eyes stared at her.

"A little darling!" said Miss Matilda, soothingly. "It was very ill, it
was; and it should have some medicine to-day, it should."

The little toy terrier pointed its nose at the ceiling, and uttered a
wretched, attenuated howl, cut short by Miss Matilda, who popped the
antimacassar down; for at that moment there was heard upon the stairs a
sonorous "Er-rum! Er-rum!"--a reverberating, awe-inspiring sound, as of
a mighty orator clearing his voice before sending verbal thunder through
an opposing crowd. Then came steps across the marble hall, the door
handle rattled very loudly, the door was thrown open very widely, and
entered Sir Hampton Rea.

The sounds indicated bigness--grandeur; but Sir Hampton Rea was not a
big man--saving his head, which was so large that it had sunk a little
down between his shoulders, where it looked massive and shiny, being
very bald and surrounded by a frizzle of grizzly hair.

Sir Hampton came in stiffly, for his buff vest was as starchy as his
shirt front and sprigged cravat, which acted like a garrote, though its