Milly.

"I think not," said Milly. "As uncle often says of dear mother, `she is
tough.'"

"Well, I'll go," said Barret.

In a few minutes he walked into the middle of the drawing-room and stood
before Mrs Moss, who was reading a book at the time. She laid down the
book, removed her glasses, and looked up.

"Well, I declare!" she exclaimed, with the utmost elevation of her
eyebrows and distension of her eyes; "there you are at last! And you
have not even the politeness to take your hat off, or have yourself
announced. You are the most singularly ill-bred young man, for your
looks, that I ever met with."

"I thought, madam," said Barret in a low voice, "that you would know me
better with my cap on--"

He stopped, for the old lady had risen at the first sound of his voice,
and gazed at him in a species of incredulous alarm.

"Forgive me," cried Barret, pulling off his cap; but again he stopped
abruptly, and, before he could spring forward to prevent it, the little
old lady had fallen flat upon the hearth-rug.

"Quick! hallo! Milly--Giles! Ass that I am! I've knocked her down
_again_!" he shouted, as those whom he summoned burst into the room.

They had not been far off. In a few more minutes Mrs Moss was reviving
on the sofa, and alone with her daughter.

"Milly, dear, this has been a great surprise; indeed, I might almost
call it a shock," she said, in a faint voice.

"Indeed it has been, darling mother," returned Milly in sympathetic
tones, as she smoothed her mother's hair; "and it was all my fault. But
are you quite sure you are not hurt?"

"I don't _feel_ hurt, dear," returned the old lady, with a slight dash
of her argumentative tone; "and don't you think that if I _were_ hurt I
should _feel_ it?"

"Perhaps, mother; but sometimes, you know, people are so _much_ hurt
that they _can't_ feel it."

"True, child, but in these circumstances they are usually unable to
express their views about feeling altogether, which I am not, you see--
no thanks to that--th-to John Barret."

"Oh! mother, I cannot bear to think of it--"

"No wonder," interrupted the old lady. "To think of my being violently
knocked down _twice--almost_ three times--by a big young man like that,
and the first time with a horrid bicycle on the top of us--I might
almost say mixed up with us."

"But, mother, he _never_ meant it, you know--"

"I should _think_ not!" interjected Mrs Moss with a short sarcastic
laugh.

"No, in