ead of answering, hugged herself, and looked unutterably
sly. Then she hugged Billy, and laughed. Tottie laughed too, much more
energetically than there was any apparent reason for. This caused Billy
to laugh from sympathy, which made Mrs Gaff break out afresh, and Gaff
himself laughed because he couldn't help it! So they all laughed
heartily for at least two minutes--all the more heartily that half of
them did not know what they were laughing at, and the other half knew
particularly well what they were laughing at!

"Well, now," said Gaff, after a time, "this may be uncommonly funny, but
I'd like to know what it's all about."

Mrs Gaff still looked unutterably sly, and giggled. At length she
said--

"You must know, Stephen, that I'm a lady!"

"Well, lass, you an't 'xactly a lady, but you're an uncommon good woman,
which many a lady never wos, an' never will be."

"Ay, but I _am_ a lady," said Mrs Gaff firmly; "at least I'm rich, an'
that's the same thing, an't it?"

"I'm not so sure o' that," replied Gaff, shaking his head; "seems to me
that it takes more than money to make a lady. But what are ye drivin'
at, Jess?"

Mrs Gaff now condescended on explanation. First of all she made Gaff
and Billy go round the apartment with her, and expounded to them the
signification of the various items, after the manner of a showman.

"Here, you see," said the good woman, pointing to the floor, "is a
splendid carpit strait fro' the looms o' Turkey; so the man said as sold
it to me, but I've reason to believe he told lies. Hows'ever, there it
is, an' it's a fuss-rater as ye may see. The roses is as fresh as the
day it was put down, 'xceptin' that one where Tottie capsized a saucepan
o' melted butter an' eggs last Christmas day. This," (pointing to the
bed), "is a four-poster. You've often said to me, Stephen, that you'd
like to sleep in a four-poster to see how it felt. Well, you'll git the
chance now, _my_ man! This here is a noo grate an' fire-irons, as cost
fi' pun' ten. The man I got it fro' said it wos a bargain at that, but
some knowin' friends o' mine holds a different opinion. Here is a noo
clock, as goes eight days of his own accord, an' strikes the halves an'
quarters, but he's not so good as he looks, like many other showy
critters in this world. That old farmiliar face in the corner does his
dooty better, an' makes less fuss about it. Then this here is a noo set
o' chimbley ornaments. I don't thin