sting that, for her own part, the loss of the money should never
affect her with a moment's uneasiness, if she could retrieve a certain
medal which she had long kept in her purse, as a remembrance of her
deceased aunt, from whom she received it in a present.

Fathom entered accidentally into the midst of this well-acted scene, and,
perceiving the agitation of the maid, and the concern of the mistress,
desired, in a respectful manner, to know the cause of their disorder.
Before the young lady had time to make him acquainted with the
circumstances of the case, his accomplice exclaimed, in an affected
passion, "Mr. Fathom, my lady has lost her purse; and, as no persons in
the family are so much about her as you and I, you must give me leave, in
my own justification, to insist upon Mademoiselle's ordering the
apartments of us both to be searched without loss of time. Here are my
pockets and my keys, and you cannot scruple to give her the same
satisfaction; for innocence has nothing to fear."

Miss Melvil reprimanded her sharply for her unmannerly zeal; and
Ferdinand eyeing her with a look of disdain, "Madam," said he, "I approve
of your proposal; but, before I undergo such mortification, I would
advise Mademoiselle to subject the two chambermaids to such inquiry; as
they also have access to the apartments, and are, I apprehend, as likely
as you or I to behave in such a scandalous manner."

The young lady declared that she was too well satisfied of Teresa's
honesty and Ferdinand's honour, to harbour the least suspicion of either,
and that she would sooner die than disgrace them so far as to comply with
the proposal the former had made; but as she saw no reason for exempting
the inferior servants from that examination which Fathom advised, she
would forthwith put it in execution. The chambermaids being accordingly
summoned, she calmly asked if either of them had accidentally found the
purse she had dropped? and both replying in the negative, she assumed an
air of severity and determination, and demanding their keys, threatened
to examine their trunks on the instant.

The guilty Abigail, who, though an Hungarian, was not inferior, in point
of effrontery, to any one of the sisterhood in England, no sooner heard
this menace, than she affected an air of affronted innocence, thanked God
she had lived in many reputable families, and been trusted with untold
gold, but was never before suspected of theft; that the other maid migh