promenade?" said mademoiselle, innocently.
And her mistress hated her for that speech.

"No. Mr. Scully, I am sure, will let me come in for five minutes?"

Mr. Scully was only too happy. My Lady descended and walked upstairs,
leaning on the happy solicitor's arm. But how should he manage? The
front room was consecrated to clerks; there were clerks too, as ill-luck
would have it, in his private room. "Perkins is out for the day,"
thought Scully; "I will take her into his room." And into Perkins's
room he took her--ay, and he shut the double doors after him too, and
trembled as he thought of his own happiness.

"What a charming little study," said Lady Gorgon, seating herself. And
indeed it was very pretty: for Perkins had furnished it beautifully, and
laid out a neat tray with cakes, a cold fowl, and sherry, to entertain
his party withal. "And do you bachelors always live so well?" continued
she, pointing to the little cold collation.

Mr. Scully looked rather blank when he saw it, and a dreadful suspicion
crossed his soul; but there was no need to trouble Lady Gorgon with
explanations: therefore, at once, and with much presence of mind, he
asked her to partake of his bachelor's fare (she would refuse Mr. Scully
nothing that day). A pretty sight would it have been for young Perkins
to see strangers so unceremoniously devouring his feast. She drank--Mr.
Scully drank--and so emboldened was he by the draught that he actually
seated himself by the side of Lady Gorgon, on John Perkins's new sofa.

Her Ladyship had of course something to say to him. She was a pious
woman, and had suddenly conceived a violent wish for building a chapel
of ease at Oldborough, to which she entreated him to subscribe. She
enlarged upon the benefits that the town would derive from it, spoke
of Sunday-schools, sweet spiritual instruction, and the duty of all
well-minded persons to give aid to the scheme.

"I will subscribe a hundred pounds," said Scully, at the end of her
Ladyship's harangue: "would I not do anything for you?"

"Thank you, thank you, dear Mr. Scully," said the enthusiastic woman.
(How the "dear" went burning through his soul!) "Ah!" added she, "if
you WOULD but do anything for me--if you, who are so eminently, so truly
distinguished, in a religious point of view, would but see the truth
in politics too; and if I could see your name among those of the true
patriot party in this empire, how blest--oh! how blest should I be! Poor