ether in the
conduct of this case he was not somewhat hampered by the--energetic
zeal of Sir Peregrine's line of defence.

When he had finished the perusal of his letter and the consideration
which it required, he put it carefully into his breast coat pocket,
envelope and all. What might not happen if he left that envelope
about in that house? And then he took it out again, and observed upon
the cover the Hamworth post-mark, very clear. Post-marks now-a-days
are very clear, and everybody may know whence a letter comes. His
letters had been brought to him by the butler; but was it not
probable that that ancient female servant might have seen them first,
and have conveyed to her mistress intelligence as to this post-mark?
If so--; and Mr. Furnival almost felt himself to be guilty as he
thought of it.

While he was putting on his greatcoat in the hall, the butler
assisting him, the ancient female servant came to him again. There
was a look about her face which told of war, and declared her
to be, if not the chief lieutenant of his wife, at any rate her
colour-serjeant. Martha Biggs no doubt was chief lieutenant. "Missus
desires me to ask," said she, with her grim face and austere voice,
"whether you will be pleased to dine at home to-day?" And yet the
grim, austere woman could be affectionate and almost motherly in her
ministrations to him when things were going well, and had eaten his
salt and broken his bread for more than twenty years. All this was
very hard! "Because," continued the woman, "missus says she thinks
she shall be out this evening herself."

"Where is she going?"

"Missus didn't tell me, sir."

He almost determined to go up stairs and call upon her to tell him
what she was going to do, but he remembered that if he did it would
surely make a row in the house. Miss Biggs would put her head out
of some adjacent door and scream, "Oh laws!" and he would have to
descend his own stairs with the consciousness that all his household
were regarding him as a brute. So he gave up that project. "No," he
said, "I shall not dine at home;" and then he went his way.

"Missus is very aggravating," said the butler, as soon as the door
was closed.

"You don't know what cause she has, Spooner," said the housekeeper
very solemnly.

"Is it at his age? I believe it's all nonsense, I do;--feminine
fancies, and vagaries of the weaker sex."

"Yes, I dare say; that's what you men always say. But if he don't
look out he'l