ck on it, sometimes
newspapers, and sometimes letters, I suppothe.

Flo There. [Gives letter. Dundreary opens letter and Florence goes up R.
Dun. knocks knees against chair, turns round knocks shins, and at last
is seated extreme, R.]

Dun Thank you. [Reads letter.]

De B [Reading paper.] By Jove, old Soloman has made a crop of it.

Dun A--what of it?

De B I beg pardon, an event I am deeply interested in, that's all. I beg
pardon.

Aug Ah! Florence, dear, there's a letter of yours got among mine. [Gives
it.]

Flo Why papa, it's from dear brother Ned.

Sir E From my boy! Where is he? How is he? Read it.

Flo He writes from Brattleboro' Vt. [Reading written letter.] ``Quite
well, just come in from a shooting excursion, with a party of Crows,
splendid fellows, six feet high.''

Dun Birds six feet high, what tremendous animals they must be.

Flo Oh, I see what my brother means; a tribe of indians called Crows,
not birds.

Dun Oh, I thought you meant those creatures with wigs on them.

Flo Wigs!

Dun I mean those things that move, breathe and walk, they look like
animals with those things. [Moving his arms like wings.]

Flo Wings.

Dun Birds with wings, that's the idea.

Flo [Reading written letter.] ``Bye-the-bye, I have lately come quite
hap-hazard upon the other branch of our family, which emigrated to
America at the Restoration. They are now thriving in this State, and
discovering our relationship, they received me most hospitably. I have
cleared up the mysterious death of old Mark Trenchard.''

Sir E Of my uncle!

Flo [Reading written letter.] ``It appears that when he quarreled with
his daughter on her marriage with poor Meredith, he came here in search
of this stray shoot of the family tree, found them and died in their
house, leaving Asa, one of the sons, heir to his personal property in
England, which ought to belong to poor Mary Meredith. Asa is about to
sail for the old country, to take possession. I gave him directions
to find you out, and he should arrive almost as soon as this letter.
Receive him kindly for the sake of the kindness he has shown to me, and
let him see some of our shooting.'' Your affectionate brother, NED.

Sir E An American branch of the family.

Mrs M Oh, how interesting!

Aug [Enthusiastically.] How delightfully romantic! I can imagine the
wild young hunter. An Apollo of the prairie.

Flo An Apollo of the prairie; yes, with a strong nasal twang, and a
dec