ing. Seeing him at early dawn,
blacking his employer's boots, or, later, attending to the lighter
duties of the coachhouse (he had a stable-boy to help him), one could
never imagine the grandeur of that same useful individual when dressed
in his best.

"A hall-door-and-waitin' suit brings out a man's fine points if he has
any, so it does; and it's nowise surprisin' that parties callin' after
nightfall should be secretly mistakin' me for the boss himself," thought
Mr. McSwiver, critically regarding his well-scrubbed countenance in the
hall mirror, before starting to make a formal call on his much-admired
friend, Liddy.

Half an hour afterward he was stalking from Mr. Reed's garden-gate
toward the village store, talking to himself, as usual, for lack of
better company:

[Illustration: McSWIVER.]

"Humph! Queen Victorior herself couldn't be more high and mighty! and
all because her young lady's gone an' had a runaway on horseback! 'Is
she kilt?' says I. 'Mercy, no,' says she; 'but I shall be special
engaged all the ev'nin', Mr. McSwiver,' says she; and with that she
fastens her eyes on me (mighty pooty ones they are, too!) a-noddin'
good-by, till I was forced, like, to take meself off. Miss Josephine
herself couldn't 'a' been grander to one of them young city swells at
the 'cademy! Och, but it beat all!"

Meantime, Liddy had quite forgotten his sudden nipped-in-the-bud visit.
Old Mr. McSwiver was well enough in his own way, and at a fitting time,
for he knew her cousins the Crumps; but she could not think of society
matters so soon after her darling Miss Dorry had been in danger.

"Did you ever know it turn out any other way?" said she confidentially
to Donald, on that same evening,--after Dorothy, somewhat subdued by
dreadful remarks on the subject of nervous shocks and internal injuries,
had retired earlier than usual,--"now, did you, Master Donald? There Mr.
G. had been taking extra precautions to keep her safe, and, under a
merciful Providence, it was only by the skin of that dear child's teeth
that she wasn't sent to a better world! And, do you know, Master Donald,
there's been serious goings on here too?"

"Goings on? What _do_ you mean, Liddy?"

"Why, that horrid man came--the very same that looked in at my
sitting-room window--and Mr. George opened the door his own self, and
spoke very severe to him, and 'I cannot see you to-night,' says he.
'Come on next Monday evening, at half-past nine, and not before.