d the roadside, and I was obliged to proceed
at a foot-pace, for I could hardly see my hand before me, it was so
dark--'

'John,' interrupted Mrs. Parsons, in a low, hollow voice, 'don't spill
that gravy.'

'Fanny,' said Parsons impatiently, 'I wish you'd defer these domestic
reproofs to some more suitable time. Really, my dear, these constant
interruptions are very annoying.'

'My dear, I didn't interrupt you,' said Mrs. Parsons.

'But, my dear, you did interrupt me,' remonstrated Mr. Parsons.

'How very absurd you are, my love! I must give directions to the
servants; I am quite sure that if I sat here and allowed John to spill
the gravy over the new carpet, you'd be the first to find fault when you
saw the stain to-morrow morning.'

'Well,' continued Gabriel with a resigned air, as if he knew there was no
getting over the point about the carpet, 'I was just saying, it was so
dark that I could hardly see my hand before me. The road was very
lonely, and I assure you, Tottle (this was a device to arrest the
wandering attention of that individual, which was distracted by a
confidential communication between Mrs. Parsons and Martha, accompanied
by the delivery of a large bunch of keys), I assure you, Tottle, I became
somehow impressed with a sense of the loneliness of my situation--'

'Pie to your master,' interrupted Mrs. Parsons, again directing the
servant.

'Now, pray, my dear,' remonstrated Parsons once more, very pettishly.
Mrs. P. turned up her hands and eyebrows, and appealed in dumb show to
Miss Lillerton. 'As I turned a corner of the road,' resumed Gabriel,
'the horse stopped short, and reared tremendously. I pulled up, jumped
out, ran to his head, and found a man lying on his back in the middle of
the road, with his eyes fixed on the sky. I thought he was dead; but no,
he was alive, and there appeared to be nothing the matter with him. He
jumped up, and potting his hand to his chest, and fixing upon me the most
earnest gaze you can imagine, exclaimed--'Pudding here,' said Mrs.
Parsons.

'Oh! it's no use,' exclaimed the host, now rendered desperate. 'Here,
Tottle; a glass of wine. It's useless to attempt relating anything when
Mrs. Parsons is present.'

This attack was received in the usual way. Mrs. Parsons talked _to_ Miss
Lillerton and _at_ her better half; expatiated on the impatience of men
generally; hinted that her husband was peculiarly vicious in this
respect, and wound up by insin