't!" But to tell the truth he had come from
Tattersall's, and it might be difficult to follow up the workings of his
mind and find out why he had told the lie. Of course it was known that
when in London much of his business was done at Tattersall's. But the
horsey man is generally on the alert to take care that no secret of his
trade escapes from him unawares. And it may be that he was thus prepared
for a gratuitous lie.

"Uncle's gone a deal father than ever I expected," said Amelia.

"He's been most generous to all the girls," said Mrs. Carroll, moved
nearly to tears.

Mr. Juniper did not care very much about "all the girls," thinking that
the uncle's affection at the present moment should be shown to the one
girl who had found a husband, and thinking also that if the husband was
to be secured, the proper way of doing so would be by liberality to him.
Amelia had said that her uncle had gone farther than she expected. Mr.
Juniper concluded from this that he had not gone as far as he had been
asked, and boldly resolved, at the spur of the moment, to stand by his
demand. "Five hundred pounds ain't much," he said.

"Dick, don't make a beast of yourself!" said Amelia. Upon this Dick only
smiled.

He continually twiddled his hat for three or four minutes, and then rose
up straight. "I suppose," said he, "I had better go up-stairs and talk
to the old man. I seed Miss Sophie taking a pick-up to him, so I suppose
he'll be able to talk."

"Why shouldn't he talk?" said Mrs. Carroll. But she quite understood
what Mr. Juniper's words were intended to imply.

"It don't always follow," said Juniper, as he walked out of the room.

"Now there'll be a row in the house;--you see if there isn't!" said
Amelia. But Mrs. Carroll expressed her opinion that the man must be the
most ungrateful of creatures if he kicked up a row on the present
occasion. "I don't know so much about that, mamma," said Amelia.

Mr. Juniper walked up-stairs with heavy, slow steps, and knocked at the
door of the marital chamber. There are men who can't walk up-stairs as
though to do so were an affair of ordinary life. They perform the task
as though they walked up-stairs once in three years. It is to be
presumed that such men always sleep on the ground-floor, though where
they find their bed-rooms it is hard to say. Mr. Juniper was admitted by
Sophie, who stepped out as he went in. "Well, old fellow! B.--and--S.,
and plenty of it. That's the ticket, eh?"