When she was tight."

"So that is where your thoughts were," said Mrs. Handsomebody, angrily,
"nice speculations indeed, for a little boy!"

"I should yike a little nushment, please," interrupted The Seraph in his
turn.

"Not nourishment, but punishment is what you will get, young man," replied
our governess, tartly. "What you three need is discipline at the hands of a
strong man. We shall now go upstairs."

V

It was over. The gas was out, and we were in bed. Not snugly in bed, but
smartingly; each trying to find a cool place on the sheets, and things very
much bedewed by the tears of The Seraph.

"I don't care," said Angel, rather huskily. "It was worth it, I'd do it
again like a shot."

"So would I," I assented. "Whatever do you s'pose they're up to now!"

And, indeed, the thought of this spirited family coloured all my dreams. As
in dancing rainbows they whirled about my bed: Mops with the hose; Bunny
and Bill twinkling on stilts; Simon with all the dogs at his heels; and
above all, the lady in pink, presiding like a golden-haired goddess, and
very "tight."

We were still in black disgrace at breakfast. Scarcely dared we raise our
eyes to the cold face of Mrs. Handsomebody, lest she should read in them
some yearning recollection of yesterday's misdeeds. Large spoonfuls of
porridge and thin milk made unwonted gurgling noises as they hurried down
our throats to our empty young stomachs.

When we had done, and The Seraph had offered thanks to God for this good
meal, Mrs. Handsomebody marched us, like conscripts to the schoolroom,
where she assigned to each of us a task to keep him busy until her return
from market.

But the front door had barely closed upon her black bombazine dress, when
we scampered to the head of the stairs, threw ourselves upon the hand-rail,
and slid lightly to the bottom, and from there ran to find Mary Ellen in
the parlour.

She was sweeping out the sombre room with such listless movements of her
plump, red arms, that the moist tea-leaves on the floor scarce moved
beneath the broom.

"Sure, I niver see sich a cairpet as this in all me born days," she was
saying. "If I was to swape till I fell prostitute, I'd niver git it clane."

"Oh, don't bother about the work, Mary Ellen!" we cried. "Just listen to
the adventure we had yesterday!"

"I listened to the hindermost part of it," she returned, "and it sounded
purty lively."

"Who cares?" said Angel. "It didn't hurt a bit."