he won't
come back for that, why, he must go, and I must look out for another;
there's as good fish in the sea as ever came out of it. Still, I'll not
deny I have a great respect for poor Joe. Oh, Mr. Penfold, what shall I
do! Oh, oh, oh!"

"There, there," said Michael, "I'll put this into the _Times_ every day."

"You are a good soul, Mr. Penfold. Oh--oh, oh!"

When he had finished the advertisement in a clerkly hand, and she had
finished her cry, she felt comparatively comfortable, and favored Mr.
Penfold with some reflections.

"Dear heart, Mr. Penfold, how you and I do take to one another, to be
sure. But so we ought; for we are honest folk, the pair, and has had a
hard time. Don't it never strike you rather curious that two thousand
pounds was at the bottom of both our troubles, yourn and mine? I might
have married Joe, and been a happy woman with him; but the Devil puts in
my head-- There you go again hammering! Life ain't worth having next door
to that lodging-house. Drat the woman, if she must peck, why don't she go
in the churchyard and peck her own grave; which we shall never be quiet
till she is there. And these here gimcrack houses, they won't stand no
more pecking at than a soap-sud. Ay, that's what hurts me, Mr. Penfold.
The Lord had given him and me health and strength and honesty; our
betters had wed for love and wrought for money, as the saying is; but I
must go again Nature, that cried 'Come couple'; and must bargain for two
thousand pounds. So now I've lost the man, and not got the money, nor
never shall. And, if I had, I'd burn-- Ah--ah--ah--ah--ah!"

This tirade ended in stifled screams of terror, caused by the sudden
appearance of a human hand, in a place and in a manner well adapted to
shake the stoutest laundress's nerves.

This hand came through the brick-work of the chimney-place, and there
remained a moment or two. Then slowly retired, and as it retired
something was heard to fall upon the shavings and tinsel of the
fireplace.

Nancy, by a feminine impulse, put her hands before her face, to hide this
supernatural hand; and, when she found courage to withdraw them, and
glare at the place, there was no aperture whatever in the brick-work;
and, consequently, the hand appeared to have traversed the solid
material, both coming and going.

"Oh, Mr. Penfold," cried Nancy; "I'm a sinful woman. This comes of
talking of the Devil arter sunset;" and she sat trembling so that the
very floor shoo