icions like."

"Well, and whom do you think to be the one?" said I.

"She don't live far from here!" he said in a stage whisper, dropping his
voice, and looking round cautiously, as he pointed along the row of
houses composing "the Terrace," where our most fashionable parishioners
resided--our Belgravia, so to speak.

"You don't mean one of the Miss Dashers?" I said, thinking of Bessie.

"Lord, no!" he replied, "it ain't one of `my lady's' young ladies!"

"Then who is it?" I said, getting quite impatient at his
tergiversation.

"Oh! she comed here later than them!" he answered, still beating about
the bush; "she comed here later than them," he repeated, nodding his
head knowingly.

A sudden fear shot through me. "Is it?--no, it cannot be--is it Miss
Clyde?" I asked.

"Ah!" he grunted, oracularly. "You knows best about that, sir!"

"Well, don't you dare, Shuffler," I savagely retorted, "to couple that
lady's name with Mr Mawley's!" I was literally boiling over with fury
at the very suspicion:--it was the realisation of my worst fears!

"You've no cause to get angry, Mr Lorton," said he. "I didn't name no
names, sir; tho' you might be further out, as far as that goes! I
didn't know as you was interested in the lady, or I shouldn't 'a
mentioned it."

"You're quite wrong--quite wrong altogether, Shuffler. Why, the thing's
absurd!" I said.

"Well, you know you axed me, sir; and what could I say?" he said
apologetically.

"That may be," I said, less hotly. "But you had better not couple
people's names together in that way. Why, it's actionable!" I added,
knowing the house-agent's mortal dread of anything connected with the
law.

"But you won't spread it no further, Mr Lorton?" he said, anxiously,
the sound eye looking at me with a beseeching expression.

"_I_ won't, Shuffler," I answered; "take care that _you_ don't!"

"I'll take my davy, sir, as how it shan't cross my lips again," he
replied in a convincing tone.

"Very well, Shuffler," I replied, turning away from him. "Only keep to
that, and it will be best for you. Good day!"

"Good day, sir; and you won't come to the auction along o' me?"

"No," said I. "I can't spare the time to-day. I'll try and come to-
morrow, if that will do as well."

I did not wish to be angry with him; for, after all, I had brought the
bitter information he conveyed entirely upon myself. He was only
repeating what was, probably, already the gossip of th