ing
into the words, and had evidently so well studied his part that he could
not even sit down on the chair or walk out of the room without tumbling
on all fours or upsetting one or two of the other actors.

Wake suggested mildly that he was overdoing it, but was voted down by an
indignant chorus of admirers, who urged the low comedian on to still
further extravagance, until, had his part been that of a clown, he could
scarcely have thrown more dramatic intensity into it.

He was ably and gallantly backed up by the maid-of-all-work, who was
evidently convinced that the main duty and occupation of such
functionaries is to upset everything; to clatter up and down the rooms
in hob-nail boots; to flourish her mop in her master's and mistress's
faces, and otherwise assert her noble independence of the ordinary laws
governing domestic servants. In these ambitions she succeeded to a
moral; and when, in addition, thanks to the cold in her head, she
pronounced all her m's b's and her n's d's, the result was exhilarating
in the extreme.

"There's dot bady bed dicer-looking that Bister Tobby and Biss Oblett,"
said she, flourishing her mop in Miss Omlett's face.

Whereat, although the remark was a serious one, and not meant to be
facetious, the audience was convulsed.

The second scene was in full swing: Miss Omlett and the funny, meek old
gentleman were taking refuge behind two sofas from the threatened
violence of Mr Bumblebee and Miss Acidrop; the low comedian was having
a kick-up all round, and the maid-of-all-work was putting her pail on
the head of one of the walking gentlemen with the comment--

"Dow, thed, there's goidg to be a dice doise--"

When the door of the room once more opened, and Railsford entered
unobserved in the darkness. He had not come to see the performance,
although he knew it was about to be held, and had indeed allowed the use
of the class-room for the purpose.

But feeling very dejected in the presence of the cloud which had
suddenly fallen on him, he had been unable to work that evening, and had
decided to pay a visit of condolence to his young kinsman and the
baronet, partly in the hope of edifying them by a little quiet talk by
the sick bedside, and partly to satisfy himself that no very alarming
symptoms had resulted from last night's severe exposure.

Picture his astonishment when he found the two beds in the dormitory
empty, and the invalids flown!

He made inquiries of the dame. She