e of a Greek statue.

'It's the dukkerin' dook [Footnote] as she's afeard on,' said Videy,
smiling in the glass till her face seemed one wicked glitter of
scarlet lips and pearly teeth. 'An' yit there ain't no dukkerin'
dook, an' there ain't no mullos.'

[Footnote: The prophesying ghost.]

Among the elaborately-engraved flowers and stars at the top of the
mirror was the representation of an angel grasping a musical
instrument.

'Look, look!' said Sinfi, 'I never know'd afore that angels played
the crwth. I wonder whether they can draw a livin' mullo up to the
clouds, same as my crwth can draw one to Snowdon?'

I bade them good-night, and joined Panuel at the door.

I was conducting him along the corridor to his room when the door was
reopened and Sinfi's head appeared, as bright as ever, and then a
beckoning hand.

'Reia,' said she, when I had returned to the door, 'I want to whisper
a word in your ear'; and she pulled my head towards the door and
whispered, 'Don't tell nobody about that 'ere jewelled trushul in the
church vaults at Raxton. We shall be going down there at the fair
time, so don't tell nobody.'

'But you surely are not afraid of your father,' I whispered in reply.

'No, no,' said she, bringing her lips so close to my face that I felt
the breath steaming round my ear. 'Not daddy--Videy!--Daddy can't
keep a secret for five minutes. It's her I'm afeared on.'

I had scarcely left the door two yards behind me when I heard the
voices of the sisters in loud altercation. I heard Sinfi exclaim, 'I
sha'n't tell you what I said to him, so now! It was somethin' atween
him an' me.'

'There they are ag'in,' said Panuel, bending his head sagely round
and pointing with his thumb over his shoulder to the door; 'at it
ag'in! Them two chavies o' mine are allus a-quarrellin' now, an' it's
allus about the same thing. 'Tain't the quarrellin' as I mind so
much,--women an' sparrows, they say, must cherrup an' quarrel,--but
they needn't allus keep a-nag-naggin' about the same thing.'

'What's their subject, Panuel?' I asked.

'Subjick? Why _you_, in course. That's what the subjick is. When
women quarrels you may allus be sure there's a chap somewheres
about.'

By this time we had entered his bedroom: he went and sat upon the
bed, and without looking round him began unlacing his 'highlows.' I
had often on previous occasions remarked that Panuel, who, when
sober, was as silent as Videy, and looked like her in th