ocking night, and request I may not be
disturbed till late in the afternoon."

Phillis retired with a groan, and soon a confused hum of many voices
could be heard along the corridor, in every accent of irritation and
remonstrance. Self-reproaches on the mistaken and abused confidence
which had led the visitors to journey so many miles to "such a place;"
mutual condolences over misfortune; abuse of the whole establishment,
and "that insufferable puppy the valet" in particular, went round, till
at last, like a storm that bad spent its fury, a lull succeeded; one by
one the grumblers slipped away, and just as day was breaking, the house
was buried in the soundest sleep.

About an hour later, when the fresh-risen son was glistening and
glittering among the leaves, lightly tipped with the hoar-frost of an
autumnal morning, a handsomely-appointed travelling-carriage, with four
posters, drove rapidly up to the door, and an active-looking figure,
springing from the box, applied himself to the bell with a vigorous
hand, and the next minute, flinging open the carriage-door, said,
"Welcome,--at last, I am able to say,--welcome to Tub-bermore."

A graceful person, wrapped in a large shawl, emerged, and, leaning
on his arm, entered the house; but in a moment he returned to assist
another and a far more helpless traveller, an old and feeble man, who
suffered himself to be carried, rather than walked, into the hall.

"This is Tubbermore, my Lord," said the lady, bending down, and with a
hand slightly touching his shoulder seeming to awake his attention.

"Yes--thank you--perfectly well," said he, in a low soft voice, while a
smile of courteous but vacant meaning stole over his sickly features.

"Not over-fatigued, my Lord?" said Roland, kindly.

"No, sir--we saw the 'Lightship' quite near us."

"Still thinking of that dreadful night," said her Ladyship, as she
arranged two braids of her fair brown hair more becomingly on her
forehead; and then turning to a very comely personage, who performed
a series of courtesies, like minute guns, at intervals, added, "If
you please, then, we'll retire to our apartment. Your housekeeper, I
suppose, Mr. Cashel?"

"I conclude so," said Roland; "but I am equally a stranger here with
yourself."

"Mrs. Moss, at your service, sir," said the housekeeper, with another
courtesy.

"Mrs. Moss, then," said Roland, in an undertone, "I have only to remark
that Lord and Lady Kilgoff must want for not