anxiety that
I feel fit for nothing."

"Umph! I'll go with them, if they've no objection," returned Mr.
Frampton. "If I should happen to get knocked over in the scuffle, I
shall want somebody to pick me up again. I shall like to see how near
the tail of the list they stick your name, Frank--umph!"

At this moment the door was flung open, and Lawless, Archer, and one or
two more men of my acquaintance came tumbling over one another into the
room, laughing vociferously at some unknown jest. Owing to the shape of
the apartment, the place where Mr. Frampton had seated himself was not
easily to be seen as you entered, consequently none of them observed
him.

"Fairlegh, old boy!" began Archer--

"Eh! here's such a tremendous go!" broke in Lawless. "Where's the
smelling-bottle? Archer swears he has just seen the ghost of Noah's
great-grandfather, as he appeared when dressed in his Sunday clothes!"

"'Pon my word it's true, and what will you lay it's a lie?" sang Archer.
"Oh! if you had but seen him, Fairlegh; he looked like--hang me if I
know anything ugly enough to compare him to."

"Was he at all like me, sir?--umph!" inquired Mr. Frampton in his
gruffest tone, putting on the broad-brimmed hat, and rising slowly from
his seat as he spoke.

"The very apparition itself, by Jingo!" exclaimed Archer, starting back
in alarm, half real, half affected, thereby nearly overturning Lawless,
who was just behind him.

~244~~"Hold hard there, young fellow; where are you jibbing to? You'll
smash my panels in a minute, if you don't look out--eh?--why surely
it's the old boy from Helmstone," continued Lawless aside; "Mr.
Frampton--sir, your most obedient."

"Same to you, sir," was the reply; "glad to see your spirits don't seem
likely to fail you, Mr. Lawless--laughing at me, all of 'em, impudent
young dogs--what's t'other one's name, Frank? the one that took me for a
ghost--umph!"

"Allow me to introduce you--Mr. Frampton, Mr. Archer, Mr. Green, Mr.
Lacy, Mr. Richards."

The individuals named delivered themselves of a series of nods and jerks
as I pronounced their various patronymics, and Mr. Frampton took off
his hat, and made a polite bow to each man separately; then turning to
Archer, he said:--

"Pray, sir, may I inquire when and how you became so intimate with
Noah's great-grandfather as to mistake me for him?--umph!"

"Well, sir," said Archer, who was evidently taken somewhat aback by this
direct appeal, "it is an a