ng.

Having delivered his announcement, he stood at the open door, as though to
show his visitors out. The lady, however, quite unabashed, retained her
seat.

"May I venture to say," she asked, "that, inasmuch as the absence of Miss
Horn has procured us the pleasure of making the acquaintance of her
brother, it is not entirely a matter of regret?"

"Cobbler" Horn bowed gravely.

"It is very good of you to say that, ma'am; but I'm afraid I must ask you
to excuse me too. I'm very busy; and, besides, these ceremonies are not at
all in my way."

The lady, who bore a title, changed countenance, and rose to her feet.
She was conscious that she had been dismissed.

"Certainly, sir," she said, in accents of freezing politeness; "no doubt
you have many concerns. We will retire at once."

The lady's sons also rose, moving as she moved, like the satellites of a
planet.

"There is no need for you to go, ma'am," "Cobbler" Horn hastened to say,
quite unaware that he had committed a grave breach of etiquette. "If you
will only excuse me, and stay here by yourselves, for a little while, no
doubt my sister will soon be back; and I'm sure she will be glad to see
you."

"Thank you," was the haughty response of the angered dame; "we have
already remained too long. Be good enough, sir, to have us shown out."

"Cobbler" Horn rang the bell; and, as the lady, followed by her sons,
swept past him with a stately and disdainful bow, he felt that, in some
way, he had grievously transgressed.

Miss Jemima, on her return, a few moments later, heard, with great
consternation, what had taken place.

"I asked the good lady to wait till you came, Jemima; but she insisted on
going away at once."

"Oh, Thomas, what have you done!" cried Miss Jemima, in piteous tones.

"What could I do?" was the reply. "You see, I could not think of wasting
my time; and I thought they would not mind staying by themselves, for a
few minutes, till you came in."

"Oh, dear," cried Miss Jemima, "I'm afraid she'll never come again!"

"Well, never mind, Jemima," said her brother; "I don't suppose it will
matter very much."

The foreboding of Miss Jemima was fulfilled; the outraged lady returned no
more. And there were many others, who, when they found that the master of
the house had little taste for fashionable company, discontinued their
calls. Some few of her new-made acquaintances only Miss Jemima was able,
by dint of her own careful and eager politenes