rner."

"Ah! always difficulties and impediments!" said the husband. "But cannot
you see, yourself, what a great advantage it would be if there were a
door here?"

"No, candidly speaking," said she, "I think it is better as it is."

"Yes, that is always the way with ladies," returned he; "they will have
nothing touched, nothing done, nothing changed, even to obtain
improvement and convenience; everything is good and excellent as it is,
till somebody makes the alteration for them, and then they can see at
once how much better it is; and then they exclaim, 'Ah, see now that is
charming!' Ladies, without doubt, belong to the stand-still party!"

"And the gentlemen," added she, "belong to the movement party; at least
wherever building and molestation-making comes across them!"

The conversation, which had hitherto appeared perfectly
good-humoured, seemed to assume a tone of bitterness from that word
"molestation-making;" and in return the voice of the Judge was somewhat
austere, as he replied to her taunt against the gentlemen. "Yes," said
he, "they are not afraid of a little trouble whenever a great advantage
is to be obtained. But----are we to have no breakfast to-day? It is
twenty-two minutes after nine! It really is shocking, dear Elise, that
you cannot teach your maids punctuality! There is nothing more
intolerable than to lose one's time in waiting; nothing more useless;
nothing more insupportable; nothing which more easily might be
prevented, if people would only resolutely set about it! Life is really
too short for one to be able to waste half of it in waiting!
Five-and-twenty minutes after nine! and the children--are they not ready
too? Dear Elise----"

"I'll go and see after them," said she; and went out quickly.

It was Sunday. The June sun shone into a large cheerful room, and upon a
snow-white damask tablecloth, which in soft silken folds was spread over
a long table, on which a handsome coffee-service was set out with
considerable elegance. The disturbed countenance with which the Judge
had approached the breakfast-table, cleared itself instantly as a
person, whom young ladies would unquestionably have called "horribly
ugly," but whom no reflective physiognomist could have observed without
interest, entered the room. This person was tall, extremely thin, and
somewhat inclining to the left side; the complexion was dark, and the
somewhat noble features wore a melancholy expression, which but seldom
gave