and looked down with
majestic condescension on a smart young girl whom he ushered into the
room.

"That will do; you may go--stay, post this letter. Come here, young
woman."

The young woman, who was evidently a respectable servant-girl,
approached with some timidity.

"Your name is Matty Merryon, I understand (yes, sir), at least so your
late mistress, Miss Tippet, informs me. Pray, what does Matty stand
for?"

"Martha, sir."

"Well, Martha, Miss Tippet gives you a very good character--which is
well, because I intend you to be servant to my child--her maid; but Miss
Tippet qualifies her remarks by saying that you are a little careless in
_some_ things. What things are you careless in?"

"La! sir--"

"You must not say `La!' my girl," interrupted Mr Auberly with a frown,
"nor use exclamations of any kind in my presence; what are the `some
things' referred to?"

"Sure I don't know, sir," said the abashed Matty. "I s'pose there's
a-many things I ain't very good at; but, please, sir, I don't mean to do
nothin' wrong, sir, I don't indeed; an' I'll try to serve you well, sir,
if it wor only to plaaze my missis, as I'm leavin' against my will, for
I love my--"

"There, that will do," said Mr Auberly somewhat sternly, as the girl
appeared to be getting excited.

"Ring that bell; now, go downstairs and Hopkins will introduce you to my
housekeeper, who will explain your duties to you."

Hopkins entered and solemnly marched Martha Merryon to the regions
below.

Mr Auberly locked away his papers, pulled out his watch, wound it up,
and then, lighting a bedroom candle, proceeded with much gravity
upstairs.

He was a very stately-looking man, and strikingly dignified as he walked
upstairs to his bedroom--slowly and deliberately, as though he were
marching at his own funeral to the tune of something even deader than
the "Dead March in Saul."

It is almost a violation of propriety to _think_ of Mr Auberly doing
such a very undignified thing as "going to bed!" Yet truth requires us
to tell that he did it; that he undressed himself as other mortals do;
that he clothed himself in the wonted ghostly garment; and that, when
his head was last seen--in the act of closing the curtains around him--
there was a conical white cap on it, tied with a string below the chin,
and ornamented on the top with a little tassel, which waggled as though
it were bidding a triumphant and final adieu to human dignity!

Half an hour l