espatching him in degrading quest of melted butter, and, when by any
chance he got hold of any dish worth having, bereaving him of it, and
ordering him to stand back.

'Pray excuse him, madam,' said the Archbishop in a low stately voice;
'he is a very young man on liking, and we DON'T like him.'

This induced John Rokesmith to observe--by way of making the thing more
natural--'Bella, my love, this is so much more successful than any
of our past anniversaries, that I think we must keep our future
anniversaries here.'

Whereunto Bella replied, with probably the least successful attempt at
looking matronly that ever was seen: 'Indeed, I think so, John, dear.'

Here the Archbishop of Greenwich coughed a stately cough to attract the
attention of three of his ministers present, and staring at them, seemed
to say: 'I call upon you by your fealty to believe this!'

With his own hands he afterwards put on the dessert, as remarking to the
three guests, 'The period has now arrived at which we can dispense with
the assistance of those fellows who are not in our confidence,' and
would have retired with complete dignity but for a daring action issuing
from the misguided brain of the young man on liking. He finding, by
ill-fortune, a piece of orange flower somewhere in the lobbies now
approached undetected with the same in a finger-glass, and placed it on
Bella's right hand. The Archbishop instantly ejected and excommunicated
him; but the thing was done.

'I trust, madam,' said his Grace, returning alone, 'that you will have
the kindness to overlook it, in consideration of its being the act of a
very young man who is merely here on liking, and who will never answer.'

With that, he solemnly bowed and retired, and they all burst into
laughter, long and merry. 'Disguise is of no use,' said Bella; 'they
all find me out; I think it must be, Pa and John dear, because I look so
happy!'

Her husband feeling it necessary at this point to demand one of those
mysterious disappearances on Bella's part, she dutifully obeyed; saying
in a softened voice from her place of concealment:

'You remember how we talked about the ships that day, Pa?'

'Yes, my dear.'

'Isn't it strange, now, to think that there was no John in all the
ships, Pa?'

'Not at all, my dear.'

'Oh, Pa! Not at all?'

'No, my dear. How can we tell what coming people are aboard the ships
that may be sailing to us now from the unknown seas!'

Bella remaining invisi