ws against the slanting top of the bureau, and from that commanding
position addressed Magdalen once more.

"Come and be locked up!" said old Mazey, wagging his venerable head with
judicial severity. "There'll be a court of inquiry to-morrow morning,
and I'm witness--worse luck!--I'm witness. You young jade, you've
committed burglary--that's what you've done. His honor the admiral's
keys stolen; his honor the admiral's desk ransacked; and his honor the
admiral's private letters broke open. Burglary! Burglary! Come and be
locked up!" He slowly recovered an upright position, with the assistance
of his hands, backed by the solid resisting power of the bureau; and
lapsed into lachrymose soliloquy. "Who'd have thought it?" said old
Mazey, paternally watering at the eyes. "Take the outside of her, and
she's as straight as a poplar; take the inside of her, and she's as
crooked as Sin. Such a fine-grown girl, too. What a pity! what a pity!"

"Don't hurt me!" said Magdalen, faintly, as old Mazey staggered up
to the chair, and took her by the wrist again. "I'm frightened, Mr.
Mazey--I'm dreadfully frightened."

"Hurt you?" repeated the veteran. "I'm a deal too fond of you--and more
shame for me at my age!--to hurt you. If I let go of your wrist, will
you walk straight before me, where I can see you all the way? Will you
be a good girl, and walk straight up to your own door?"

Magdalen gave the promise required of her--gave it with an eager longing
to reach the refuge of her room. She rose, and tried to take the candle
from the bureau, but old Mazey's cunning hand was too quick for
her. "Let the candle be," said the veteran, winking in momentary
forgetfulness of his responsible position. "You're a trifle quicker on
your legs than I am, my dear, and you might leave me in the lurch, if I
don't carry the light."

They returned to the inhabited side of the house. Staggering after
Magdalen, with the basket of keys in one hand and the candle in the
other, old Mazey sorrowfully compared her figure with the straightness
of the poplar, and her disposition with the crookedness of Sin, all
the way across "Freeze-your-Bones," and all the way upstairs to her own
door. Arrived at that destination, he peremptorily refused to give
her the candle until he had first seen her safely inside the room. The
conditions being complied with, he resigned the light with one hand, and
made a dash with the other at the key, drew it from the inside of
the