up her eyes and hands,
pursed her mouth, and gave vent to a most unladylike whistle! She had
barely terminated this musical performance, and recovered the serenity
of her aspect, when Miss Lillycrop burst in upon her with unwonted haste
and excitement.

"My darling Maria!" she exclaimed, breathlessly, flinging her bonnet on
a chair and seizing both the hands of her friend, "I am _so_ glad you're
at home. It's _such_ an age since I saw you! I came out by the early
train on purpose to tell you. I hardly know where to begin. Oh! I'm
_so_ glad!"

"You're not going to be married?" interrupted Miss Stivergill, whose
stern calmness deepened as her friend's excitement increased.

"Married? oh no! Ridiculous! but I think I'm going deranged."

"That is impossible," returned Miss Stivergill, "You have been deranged
ever since I knew you. If there is any change in your condition it can
only be an access of the malady. Besides, there is no particular cause
for joy in that. Have you no more interesting news to give me?"

"More interesting news!" echoed Miss Lillycrop, sitting down on her
bonnet, "of course I have. Now, just listen: Peter Pax--of the firm of
Blurt, Pax, Jiggs, and Company, Antiquarians, Bird-Stuffers, Mechanists,
Stamp-Collectors, and I don't know what else besides, to the Queen--is
going to be married to--whom do you think?"

"The Queen of Sheba," replied Miss Stivergill, folding her hands on her
lap with a placid smile.

"To--Tottie Bones!" said Miss Lillycrop, with an excited movement that
ground some of her bonnet to straw-powder.

Miss Stivergill did not raise her eyes or whistle at this. She merely
put her head a little on one side and smiled.

"I knew it, my dear--at least I felt sure it would come to this, though
it is sooner than I expected. It is not written anywhere, I believe,
that a boy may not marry a baby, nevertheless--"

"But she's not a baby," broke in Miss Lillycrop.

"Tottie is seventeen now, and Pax is twenty-four. But this is not the
half of what I have to tell you. Ever since Pax was taken into
partnership by Mr Enoch Blurt the business has prospered, as you are
aware, and our active little friend has added all kinds of branches to
it--such as the preparation and sale of entomological, and
ichthyological, and other -ological specimens, and the mechanical parts
of toy-engines; and that lad Jiggs has turned out such a splendid
expounder of all these things, that the sh