ed
to call a 'court,' and the Testament so filthy that no lips could have
a hold of it, my meaning is to tell you, miss, the very things that
happened, so that you may fairly judge of them. The Captain came back
from going with his father, I am sure, in less than twenty minutes, and
smoking a cigar in his elegant way, quite happy and contented, for I saw
him down the staircase. As for sign of any haste about him, or wiping of
his forehead, or fumbling with his handkerchief, or being in a stew in
any sort of way--as the stupid cook who let him in declared, by reason
of her own having been at the beer-barrel--solemnly, miss, as I hope to
go to heaven, there was nothing of the sort about him.

"He went into the dining-room, and mistress, who had been up stairs to
see about the baby, went down to him; and there I heard them talking as
pleasant and as natural as they always were together. Not one of them
had the smallest sense of trouble hanging over them; and they put away
both the decanters and cruets, and came up to bed in their proper order,
the master stopping down just to finish his cigar and see to the doors
and the bringing up the silver, because there was no man-servant now.
And I heard him laughing at some little joke he made as he went into
the bedroom. A happier household never went to bed, nor one with better
hopes of a happy time to come. And the baby slept beside his parents in
his little cot, as his mother liked to have him, with his blessed mouth
wide open.

"Now we three (cook and Susan and myself) were accustomed to have a
good time of it whenever the master first came home and the mistress was
taken up with him. We used to count half an hour more in bed, without
any of that wicked bell-clack, and then go on to things according to
their order, without any body to say any thing. Accordingly we were all
snug in bed, and turning over for another tuck of sleep, when there came
a most vicious ringing of the outer bell. 'You get up, Susan,' I heard
the cook say, for there only was a door between us; and Susan said,
'Blest if I will! Only Tuesday you put me down about it when the baker
came.' Not a peg would either of them stir, no more than to call names
on one another; so I slipped on my things, with the bell going clatter
all the while, like the day of judgment. I felt it to be hard upon me,
and I went down cross a little--just enough to give it well to a body I
were not afraid of.

"But the Lord in His mer