he extreme tip of her laughing nose. Her voice
was exceedingly impressive--deep and rich in quality, and, once heard,
not easily forgotten. Her usual dress was a green gown, in colour not
unlike the curtain of the office window, made tight to the figure, and
terminating at the throat, where it was fastened behind by a peculiarly
large and massive button. Feeling, no doubt, that simplicity and
plainness are the soul of elegance, Miss Brass wore no collar or
kerchief except upon her head, which was invariably ornamented with a
brown gauze scarf, like the wing of the fabled vampire, and which,
twisted into any form that happened to suggest itself, formed an easy
and graceful head-dress.

Such was Miss Brass in person. In mind, she was of a strong and
vigorous turn, having from her earliest youth devoted herself with
uncommon ardour to the study of law; not wasting her speculations upon
its eagle flights, which are rare, but tracing it attentively through
all the slippery and eel-like crawlings in which it commonly pursues
its way. Nor had she, like many persons of great intellect, confined
herself to theory, or stopped short where practical usefulness begins;
inasmuch as she could ingross, fair-copy, fill up printed forms with
perfect accuracy, and, in short, transact any ordinary duty of the
office down to pouncing a skin of parchment or mending a pen. It is
difficult to understand how, possessed of these combined attractions,
she should remain Miss Brass; but whether she had steeled her heart
against mankind, or whether those who might have wooed and won her,
were deterred by fears that, being learned in the law, she might have
too near her fingers' ends those particular statutes which regulate
what are familiarly termed actions for breach, certain it is that she
was still in a state of celibacy, and still in daily occupation of her
old stool opposite to that of her brother Sampson. And equally certain
it is, by the way, that between these two stools a great many people
had come to the ground.

One morning Mr Sampson Brass sat upon his stool copying some legal
process, and viciously digging his pen deep into the paper, as if he
were writing upon the very heart of the party against whom it was
directed; and Miss Sally Brass sat upon her stool making a new pen
preparatory to drawing out a little bill, which was her favourite
occupation; and so they sat in silence for a long time, until Miss
Brass broke silence.