door. At any rate he was there, and greeted his visitors without
embarrassment.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he muttered, "sorry to see you standing.
Ah! Dusty, I see;" and with the long tail of his dressing-gown he
proceeded to raise a cloud of dust from four massive oak chairs, much to
the disturbance of Mark's equanimity, who succeeded with some difficulty
in maintaining his gravity. "Sorry," added Mr Tankardew, "to appear in
this _dishabille_, must excuse and take me as I am."

"Pray don't mention it," replied both his tenants, and then proceeded to
business.

The rent had been paid and receipts duly given, when the old man raised
his eyes and fixed them on Mary's face. She had been sitting back in
the deep recess of a window, terribly afraid of a mirthful explosion
from Mark, and therefore drawing herself as far out of sight as
possible; but now a bright ray of sunshine cast itself full on her
sweet, loving features, and as Mr Tankardew caught their expression he
uttered a sudden exclamation, and stood for a moment as if transfixed to
the spot. Mary felt and looked half-confused, half-frightened, but the
next moment Mr Tankardew turned away, muttered something to himself,
and then entered into the subject of requested alterations. His
visitors had anticipated some probable difficulties, if not a refusal,
on the part of their landlord; but to their surprise and satisfaction he
promised at once to do all that they required: indeed he hardly seemed
to take the matter in thoroughly, but to have his mind occupied with
something quite foreign to the subject in hand. At last he said,--

"Well, well, get it all done--get it all done, Mr Rothwell, Mrs
Franklin--get it all done, and send in the bills to me--there, there."

Again he fixed his eyes earnestly on Mary's face, then slowly withdrew
them, and striding up to the fireplace opened a panel above it, and
disclosed an exquisite portrait of a young girl about Mary's age.
Nothing could be more striking than the contrast between the gloomy,
dingy hue of the apartment, and the vivid colouring of the picture,
which beamed out upon them like a rainbow spanning a storm-cloud. Then
he closed the panel abruptly, and turned towards the company with a deep
sigh.

"Ah! Well, well," he said, half aloud; "well, good-morning, good-
morning; when shall we meet again?"

These last words were addressed to Mrs Franklin and her daughter.

"Really," replied the former, ha