, lightly tossing off the
dram in a moment. "'A drop in time'--I can't help repeating it, it's
so nicely expressed. Still, with submission to her ladyship's better
judgment, Mr. Softly, the question seems now to arise, whether, if one
drop in time saves nine, two drops in time may not save eighteen." Here
Mrs. Baggs forgot her nerves and winked. I returned the wink and filled
the glass a second time. "Oh, this news, this awful news!" said Mrs.
Baggs, remembering her nerves again.

Just then I thought I heard footsteps in front of the house, but,
listening more attentively, found that it had begun to rain, and that I
had been deceived by the pattering of the first heavy drops against
the windows. However, the bare suspicion that the same stranger who had
called already might be watching the house now, was enough to startle
me very seriously, and to suggest the absolute necessity of occupying
no more precious time in paying attention to the vagaries of Mrs. Baggs'
nerves. It was also of some importance that I should speak to her while
she was sober enough to understand what I meant in a general way.

Feeling convinced that she was in imminent danger of becoming downright
drunk if I gave her another glass, I kept my hand on the bottle, and
forthwith told my story over again in a very abridged and unceremonious
form, and without allowing her one moment of leisure for comment on
my narrative, whether it might be of the weeping, winking, drinking,
groaning, or ejaculating kind. As I had anticipated, when I came to a
conclusion, and consequently allowed her an opportunity of saying a few
words, she affected to be extremely shocked and surprised at hearing of
the nature of her master's pursuits, and reproached me in terms of
the most vehement and virtuous indignation for incurring the guilt of
abetting them, even though I had done so from the very excusable motive
of saving my own life. Having a lively sense of the humorous, I was
necessarily rather amused by this; but I began to get a little surprised
as well, when we diverged to the subject of the doctor's escape, on
finding that Mrs. Baggs viewed the fact of his running away to some
hiding-place of his own in the light of a personal insult to his
faithful and attached housekeeper.

"It shows a want of confidence in me," said the old lady, "which I
may forgive, but can never forget. The sacrifices I have made for that
ungrateful man are not to be told in words. The very mor