her hair, and Henny's sewin' the bows on her
dress."

"Well, well, I'll call them. You'll have to keep the shop goin'
altogether, Elleney, this day. All the girls is wild to have a chance,
an' I know ye won't mind doin' a bit extra."

"I wonder which it will be," meditated Elleney. "If I was him I'd take
Nanny."

But Mr. Brian seemed quite unmoved by Nanny's rollicking charms. He
was, indeed, to some extent struck by the appearance of Juliana, who,
with her hair done up into what her mother called a "shin-on"--a
fashion much affected when she was a young woman--and wearing a silk
dress with flounces innumerable of the terra-cotta hue beloved, for
some occult reason, of her kind, entered the room with an air of
stately magnificence. The young visitor was very respectful to
Juliana, and spoke in particularly genteel tones when addressing her.
But his eyes wandered perpetually towards the door, and an acute
observer might have detected a certain lengthening of visage at each
fresh arrival on the scene.

When the seven specimens of maidenhood, from among whom he was
expected to make his choice, were at length seated in various
constrained attitudes about the room, a dead silence fell, broken only
by an occasional nervous remark from Mrs. McNally, and a monosyllabic
response from the wooer. The relief was general when the "decent
body," engaged to help for the day, opened the door with a very black
hand, kicked it still further back with a gaping shoe, and finally
entered the room bearing a large tray.

A repast, which the lady aforesaid subsequently described as
"sumpchus," soon adorned the board, and Mrs. McNally, with a
deprecating giggle, advised Brian to sit next the partner he liked
best.

He hesitated, and cast a baffled glance round the room.

"Sure the whole of the family isn't here, is it?" he inquired.

"How many more would you want?" returned Juliana, with a playfulness
strongly tinged with asperity.

"Didn't I see another young lady an' I comin' in?" he persisted.

"Who in the name of wonder did he see, m'mah?" whispered Henrietta,
while the others looked blank.

"I b'lieve 'twas Elleney let him in," said Mrs. McNally. "The poor
fellow, he's that well-mannered he thinks bad o' sittin' down without
her. We're all here that can be here at present, Mr. Brian," she
remarked aloud. "Little Elleney that ye seen awhile ago is mindin' the
shop for me. We'll keep a bit hot for her till I go to take her
p