ault upon it by anxiety for its safety.

"I'm sorry to hear it, miss," the man rejoined.

"Why?" she asked.

"'Cause I should ha' liked to ha' taken _you_ farther."

"But why?" said Mary, the second time, not understanding him, and not
unwilling to cover the awkwardness of that slow minute of waiting.

"Because it gives a poor man with a whole family o' prowocations
some'at of a chance, to 'ave a affable young lady like you, miss,
behind him in his cab, once a year, or thereabouts. It's not by no
means as I'd have you go farther and fare worse, which it's a sayin' as
I've heerd said, miss. So, if you're sure o' the place, I may as well
be a-gettin' down of _your_ boxes."

So saying, he got on the cab, and proceeded to unfasten the chain that
secured the luggage.

"Wait a bit, cabbie. Don't you be in sech a 'urry as if you was a
'ansom, now," cried the footman, reappearing at the farther end of the
hall. "I should be sorry if there was a mistake, and you wasn't man
enough to put your boxes up again without assistance." Then, turning to
Mary, "Mrs. Perkin says, miss--that's the housekeeper, miss," he went
on, "--that, if as you're the young woman from the country--and I'm
sure I beg your pardon if I make a mistake--it ain't my fault,
miss--Mrs. Perkin says she did hear Mrs. Redmain make mention of one,
but she didn't have any instructions concerning her.--But, as there you
are," he continued more familiarly, gathering courage from Mary's
nodded assent, "you can put your boxes in the hall, and sit down, she
says, till Mrs. R. comes 'ome."

"Do you think she will be long?" asked Mary.

"Well, that's what no fellow can't say, seein' its a new play as she's
gone to. They call it Doomsday, an' there's no tellin' when parties is
likely to come 'ome from that," said the man, with a grin of
satisfaction at his own wit.

Was London such a happy place that everybody in it was given to joking,
thought Mary.

"'Ere, mister! gi' me a 'and wi' this 'ere luggage," cried the cabman,
finding the box he was getting down too much for him. "Yah wouldn't see
me break my back, an' my poor 'orse standin' there a lookin' on--would
ye now?"

"Why don't you bring a man with you?" objected the footman, as he
descended the steps notwithstanding, to give the required assistance.
"I ain't paid as a crane.--By Juppiter! what a weight the new party's
boxes is!"

"Only that one," said Mary, apologetically. "It is full of books. The
othe