nt language that the table was in fact worth
nothing because of its injuries.

At about four Mr. and Mrs. Green walked up to the house and were
shown into the drawing-room. Here was Mrs. Mason supported by
Penelope and Creusa. As Diana was not musical, and therefore under
no compliment to Mrs. Green, she kept out of the way. Mr. Mason also
was absent. He knew that something very mean was about to be done,
and would not show his face till it was over. He ought to have taken
the matter in hand himself, and would have done so had not his mind
been full of other things. He himself was a man terribly wronged and
wickedly injured, and could not therefore in these present months
interfere much in the active doing of kindnesses. His hours were
spent in thinking how he might best obtain justice,--how he might
secure his pound of flesh. He only wanted his own, but that he
would have;--his own, with due punishment on those who had for so
many years robbed him of it. He therefore did not attend at the
presentation of the furniture.

"And now we'll go up stairs, if you please," said Mrs. Mason, with
that gracious smile for which she was so famous. "Mr. Green, you must
come too. Dear Mrs. Green has been so very kind to my two girls; and
now I have got a few articles,--they are of the very newest fashion,
and I do hope that Mrs. Green will like them." And so they all went
up into the schoolroom.

"There's a new fashion come up lately," said Mrs. Mason as she walked
along the corridor, "quite new:--of metallic furniture. I don't know
whether you have seen any." Mrs. Green said she had not seen any as
yet.

"The Patent Steel Furniture Company makes it, and it has got very
greatly into vogue for small rooms. I thought that perhaps you would
allow me to present you with a set for your drawing-room."

"I'm sure it is very kind of you to think of it," said Mrs. Green.

"Uncommonly so," said Mr. Green. But both Mr. Green and Mrs. Green
knew the lady, and their hopes did not run high.

And then the door was opened and there stood the furniture to view.
There stood the furniture, except the three subtracted chairs, and
the loo table. The claw and leg of the table indeed were standing
there, but the top was folded up and lying on the floor beside it. "I
hope you'll like the pattern," began Mrs. Mason. "I'm told that it
is the prettiest that has yet been brought out. There has been some
little accident about the screw of the table, but