room,
surely?"

"Wait a bit," pleaded Mrs. Wragge. "Wait a bit, miss, before we go up
any higher. I've got the Buzzing in my head worse than ever. Please wait
for me till I'm a little better again."

"Shall I ask for help?" inquired Magdalen. "Shall I call the landlady?"

"Help?" echoed Mrs. Wragge. "Bless you, I don't want help! I'm used to
it. I've had the Buzzing in my head, off and on--how many years?" She
stopped, reflected, lost herself, and suddenly tried a question in
despair. "Have you ever been at Darch's Dining-rooms in London?" she
asked, with an appearance of the deepest interest.

"No," replied Magdalen, wondering at the strange inquiry.

"That's where the Buzzing in my head first began," said Mrs. Wragge,
following the new clew with the deepest attention and anxiety. "I was
employed to wait on the gentlemen at Darch's Dining-rooms--I was. The
gentlemen all came together; the gentlemen were all hungry together; the
gentlemen all gave their orders together--" She stopped, and tapped her
head again, despondently, with the tattered old book.

"And you had to keep all their orders in your memory, separate one from
the other?" suggested Magdalen, helping her out. "And the trying to do
that confused you?"

"That's it!" said Mrs. Wragge, becoming violently excited in a moment.
"Boiled pork and greens and pease-pudding, for Number One. Stewed beef
and carrots and gooseberry tart, for Number Two. Cut of mutton, and
quick about it, well done, and plenty of fat, for Number Three. Codfish
and parsnips, two chops to follow, hot-and-hot, or I'll be the death of
you, for Number Four. Five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Carrots and
gooseberry tart--pease-pudding and plenty of fat--pork and beef and
mutton, and cut 'em all, and quick about it--stout for one, and ale for
t'other--and stale bread here, and new bread there--and this gentleman
likes cheese, and that gentleman doesn't--Matilda, Tilda, Tilda, Tilda,
fifty times over, till I didn't know my own name again--oh lord! oh
lord!! oh lord!!! all together, all at the same time, all out of temper,
all buzzing in my poor head like forty thousand million bees--don't tell
the captain! don't tell the captain!" The unfortunate creature dropped
the tattered old book, and beat both her hands on her head, with a look
of blank terror fixed on the door.

"Hush! hush!" said Magdalen. "The captain hasn't heard you. I know what
is the matter with your head now. Let me cool it