head and makes me drunk. How I pull my young Misses
and myself out of our Infernal Region again, how my other business is
done afterwards, how my little bit of dinner slides itself down my
throat, I know no more than a man in the moon. Enough for me, that
here I am, with the mighty merchant's note in my hand, as large as
life, as hot as fire, and as happy as a king! Ha! ha! ha!
right-right-right-all-right!" Here the Professor waved the memorandum
of terms over his head, and ended his long and voluble narrative with
his shrill Italian parody on an English cheer."

My mother rose the moment he had done, with flushed cheeks and
brightened eyes. She caught the little man warmly by both hands.

"My dear, good Pesca," she said, "I never doubted your true affection
for Walter--but I am more than ever persuaded of it now!"

"I am sure we are very much obliged to Professor Pesca, for Walter's
sake," added Sarah. She half rose, while she spoke, as if to approach
the arm-chair, in her turn; but, observing that Pesca was rapturously
kissing my mother's hands, looked serious, and resumed her seat. "If
the familiar little man treats my mother in that way, how will he treat
ME?" Faces sometimes tell truth; and that was unquestionably the
thought in Sarah's mind, as she sat down again.

Although I myself was gratefully sensible of the kindness of Pesca's
motives, my spirits were hardly so much elevated as they ought to have
been by the prospect of future employment now placed before me. When
the Professor had quite done with my mother's hand, and when I had
warmly thanked him for his interference on my behalf, I asked to be
allowed to look at the note of terms which his respectable patron had
drawn up for my inspection.

Pesca handed me the paper, with a triumphant flourish of the hand.

"Read!" said the little man majestically. "I promise you my friend,
the writing of the golden Papa speaks with a tongue of trumpets for
itself."

The note of terms was plain, straightforward, and comprehensive, at any
rate. It informed me,

First, That Frederick Fairlie, Esquire, of Limmeridge House.
Cumberland, wanted to engage the services of a thoroughly competent
drawing-master, for a period of four months certain.

Secondly, That the duties which the master was expected to perform
would be of a twofold kind. He was to superintend the instruction of
two young ladies in the art of painting in water-colours; and he was to
devote h