ot restrain my impatience. What answer, if any, is there to the
telegram?" she eagerly inquired.

They told her.

"Thank Heaven!" she exclaimed, fervently, clasping her hands and sinking
into the chair just vacated by Leonidas.

The serious walks side by side with the farcical.

The door opened unceremoniously, and Mrs. Anglesea entered, shaking her
skirts to shake off ends of soft twine and scraps of lint or paper that
stuck to her dress, and exclaimed:

"Well, I've got through with helping the young uns to tie them parcels,
and, Lord! wa'n't there a lot of them! And I come downstairs to look for
the ole 'oman, and they told me she was in here 'long of the parson, so I
knowed you had come about the telegraph message; and how do you do, sir,
this morning? And I hope you find yerself very well, and it's all right
about the sitifikit and the parish register, eh?"

"They are all correct, madam, I believe--the certificate and the entries
in the register perfectly corresponding," replied Dr. Peters.

"Oh, I knowed that; I never expected nothing else, of course. I only
wanted the ole folks here to be satisfied as the gal had no right to my
ole man, and would only ruinate herself, if she took him."

"Will you take a seat, ma'am?" inquired Mr. Force, rising and bringing
forward a large, cushioned armchair.

"Lord, no! I don't want to disturb you! I only come to hear the upshot of
this business! I went in the kitchen just now, and asked the cook if I
could help her, and she said no; but I saw a heap of currants and raisins
on the table to be picked for the plum pudding, and now I am going to help
her to do it, whether or no! Well, I reckon I shall stay 'long o' you all
till the spring, and try make myself useful and cheerful and contented, as
it ain't never no use crying for spilt milk; and, then, I reckon as I
can't get any of my money out'n that man--Lord! why, he's gambled it all
away long a-merry-ago! I'll just go back to Wild Cats', and open a miners'
boarding house! The boys won't let me want! And I s'pose by the time I
make another pile my rascal will be coming back to me, to get hold of it!
For that's the way they all do! But just let him, that's all! The boys
would give him a short trial and a long rope, you bet! You needn't look so
horrified, Mr. Parson. You just wait till some foreign beat comes and
marries you, and then runs off with all your money, and then see how you'd
feel!"

The aged husband of an old