"

"I am just agoing to begin; and I only hope I shall not get exasperated,
and misbehave myself, as I certainly feel I did the last time we had a
talk."

"Go on; I don't think you'll get exasperated, whatever else may happen
to you."

"You think, p'r'aps, that your goings on, young Mr Rayleigh, ar'n't
known; but they are though."

"In what respect, sir? What do you allude to?"

"Petticoats--that's what I allude to; and I come just to give you a
friendly warning, that the seven young Juffleses are all six feet high."

"Your information is totally undesired."

"I know it is--it's uncommon unpleasant information; and, if I was you,
I would give up the chase. She's certainly a very pretty girl is Betsy
Juffles--but not fit for you or me, you know. She has no blood."

"As I don't know whom you allude to, of course I can give you no answer;
but, as you seem to be giving me advice, I will favour you with a very
decided piece of it in return; which is, to hold your tongue on any
subject connected with me, or the consequences to yourself will be such
as you will hardly like."

"Thank ye for your friendliness--I am rather fond of advice than
otherwise, though it's certainly one of the things that it's more
blessed to give than to receive; and I will just give you a hint that
may do you good--Betsy's a very good-natured girl, but fickle--very."

"Indeed!"

"Oh yes!--she is indeed--she made great advances to me once; but I
rather checked her. A very clever girl too--and speaks French; but she
has no philosophy. She went to the last assizes, and fell in with some
dragoon officers at a ball. She's all for the redcoats now, or at least
was till lately--but since then she"----

Here the little animal winked.

"Oh!" I said, willing to hear what the creature would say.

"I have scarcely spoke to her for a long time; but I hear some of her
proceedings," he continued.

"You do?--from whom, pray?"

"Why, it can't be supposed I never hear Amy talking about how often she
goes out with Betsy. I'm very much against Amy seeing her at all. Her
steady stupid sister would be a far safer companion than such a wild
sort of girl as Betsy Juffles."

"You say she once made advances to you," I said, with a horrid suspicion
at my heart that I had been an egregious fool.

"Didn't she? You should have seen her looks. She always sat a little
behind her mother's chair, so as to be out of the old lady's eye, and
did cast such preternat