ranger, Tabby," said Sybil, making the longest
and most connected speech she had made since her reason had become
impaired.

"Ah, Lord! ah, my Lord!" cried the old woman, on the verge of hysterics
again.

"Now, Tabby, don't begin to whimper! You whimper over everything though,
I know. You whimpered when I was born, and when I was christened, and
when I was married; and now you whimper when I am going to be crowned
with the crown of maternity. Oh, you old rebel!" cried Sybil,
contradicting all her sarcastic words by caressing her old friend.

"No, I don't mean to! but if you knowed! Oh! if you knowed!" exclaimed
Miss Tabby, suppressing and swallowing her sobs.

"Now, then, let us go back to Lyon. Lyon will give you what money you
may need for the purchases; and I beg that you will make them as soon as
possible, and bring them to me here," said Sybil, as she arose and
walked back to the spot where she had left her husband and her friend.

After a little general conversation, in which Sybil sometimes joined
naturally, and from which she also sometimes wandered off at random, Mr.
Berners proposed to call in Joe to pay his respects to his mistress.

Sybil sprang at the proposal, and Joe was duly summoned from his seat on
the box of the carriage before the door.

He came into the garden hat in hand, and bowed gravely before his
unfortunate mistress.

And when she asked him many questions about that department of the
domestic economy of Black Hall that fell under his own supervision, he
answered all her questions satisfactorily, without ever once falling
into the unlucky blunders that had marred Miss Tabby's communications.

"Your favorite mare, Diana is in prime order, ma'am, and will be so
whenever you come home again to take your rides in the valley. And your
coach horses Castor and Pollux, ma'am, couldn't be in better trim. I
shall take pride in driving of you to church behind them, ma'am, the
first Sunday after you come home, which we all at Black Hall hopes, as
the waters of this here cilibrated spring may soon restore your health,
and send you back to us strong and happy," said Joe, at the conclusion
of a very long address.

"Thanks, Joe! I know that you are very sincere and earnest in your good
wishes. Many thanks! But, dear old soul, how came you to be so lame?"

Joe was taken by surprise, and stood aghast. He knew of course that his
mistress was slightly insane; but he was utterly unprepared for such a
l