ow of such discourse as this, there came a
startling knock at the door, opening from the street into the workshop,
which had been kept closed all day that the house might be more quiet.
Joe, as in duty bound, would hear of nobody but himself going to open
it; and accordingly left the room for that purpose.

It would have been odd enough, certainly, if Joe had forgotten the way
to this door; and even if he had, as it was a pretty large one and stood
straight before him, he could not easily have missed it. But Dolly,
perhaps because she was in the flutter of spirits before mentioned, or
perhaps because she thought he would not be able to open it with his one
arm--she could have had no other reason--hurried out after him; and they
stopped so long in the passage--no doubt owing to Joe's entreaties
that she would not expose herself to the draught of July air which must
infallibly come rushing in on this same door being opened--that the
knock was repeated, in a yet more startling manner than before.

'Is anybody going to open that door?' cried the locksmith. 'Or shall I
come?'

Upon that, Dolly went running back into the parlour, all dimples and
blushes; and Joe opened it with a mighty noise, and other superfluous
demonstrations of being in a violent hurry.

'Well,' said the locksmith, when he reappeared: 'what is it? eh Joe?
what are you laughing at?'

'Nothing, sir. It's coming in.'

'Who's coming in? what's coming in?' Mrs Varden, as much at a loss as
her husband, could only shake her head in answer to his inquiring look:
so, the locksmith wheeled his chair round to command a better view of
the room-door, and stared at it with his eyes wide open, and a mingled
expression of curiosity and wonder shining in his jolly face.

Instead of some person or persons straightway appearing, divers
remarkable sounds were heard, first in the workshop and afterwards
in the little dark passage between it and the parlour, as though some
unwieldy chest or heavy piece of furniture were being brought in, by an
amount of human strength inadequate to the task. At length after much
struggling and humping, and bruising of the wall on both sides, the
door was forced open as by a battering-ram; and the locksmith, steadily
regarding what appeared beyond, smote his thigh, elevated his eyebrows,
opened his mouth, and cried in a loud voice expressive of the utmost
consternation:

'Damme, if it an't Miggs come back!'

The young damsel whom he