he said to the
man. "Every care shall be taken of her. The children can stay too."

"Three cheers for moral science!" cried Smilash, ecstatically breaking
into the outrageous dialect he had forgotten in his wrath. "Wot was my
words to you, neighbor, when I said we should bring your missus to the
college, and you said, ironical-like, 'Aye, and bloomin' glad they'll be
to see us there.' Did I not say to you that the lady had a noble 'art,
and would show it when put to the test by sech a calamity as this?"

"Why should you bring my hasty words up again' me now, master, when the
lady has been so kind?" said the man with emotion. "I am humbly grateful
to you, Miss; and so is Bess. We are sensible of the ill-convenience
we--"

Miss Wilson, who had been conferring with the housekeeper, cut his
speech short by ordering him to carry his wife to bed, which he did with
the assistance of Smilash, now jubilant. Whilst they were away, one
of the servants, bidden to bring some blankets to the woman's room,
refused, saying that she was not going to wait on that sort of people.
Miss Wilson gave her warning almost fiercely to quit the college next
day. This excepted, no ill-will was shown to the refugees. The young
ladies were then requested to return to bed.

Meanwhile the man, having laid his wife in a chamber palatial in
comparison with that which the storm had blown about her ears, was
congratulating her on her luck, and threatening the children with the
most violent chastisement if they failed to behave themselves with
strict propriety whilst they remained in that house. Before leaving them
he kissed his wife; and she, reviving, asked him to look at the baby.
He did so, and pensively apostrophized it with a shocking epithet in
anticipation of the time when its appetite must be satisfied from the
provision shop instead of from its mother's breast. She laughed and
cried shame on him; and so they parted cheerfully. When he returned to
the hall with Smilash they found two mugs of beer waiting for them. The
girls had retired, and only Miss Wilson and the housekeeper remained.

"Here's your health, mum," said the man, before drinking; "and may you
find such another as yourself to help you when you're in trouble, which
Lord send may never come!"

"Is your house quite destroyed?" said Miss Wilson. "Where will you spend
the night?"

"Don't you think of me, mum. Master Smilash here will kindly put me up
'til morning."

"His health!"