and garters. The red piece of carpet
would go down against the fender, and the blue piece near the window, as
of yore. Dave looked forward with interest to the resurrection of Mrs.
Picture's wroyting toyble with a ployce for her Boyble to lie on, and to
the letters to his Granny Marrowbone in the country which would
certainly be wrote at it, directly or by dictation, in the blessed
revival of the past which was to come. Mrs. Burr's cat, who had
travelled by request in a hamper to her married niece's at Clapham, in
charge of Michael Ragstroar, would return and would then promptly have
kittens in spite of doubtful sex-qualifications suggested by the name of
Tommy; which kittens would belong to Dave and Dolly respectively, choice
being made as soon as ever it was seen what colour they meant to be.

These speculations, which had made pleasant material for
castles-in-the-air in the undisturbed hours when the children were in
sole possession of the apartment, seemed to be within a measurable
distance of realisation when Aunt M'riar, acting on a communication from
Mrs. Burr at Clapham, proceeded to unearth the hidden furniture from the
bedroom where Mr. Bartlett's careful men had interred it, and where it
hadn't been getting any good, you might be sure. At least, so said Mrs.
Ragstroar, who was so obliging as to lend a hand getting the things
back in their places, and giving them a dust over to get the worst of
the mess off. And Uncle Mo he was able to make himself useful, with a
screw here and a tack there, and a glue-pot with quite a professional
smell to it, so that you might easy have took him for a carpenter and
joiner. For Mr. Bartlett's men, while doubtless justifying their
reputation for handling everything with care due to casualties with
compound fractures, had stultified their own efforts by shoving the
heavy goods right atop of the light ones, and lying things down on their
sides that should have been stood upright, and committing other errors
of judgment. It was a singular and unaccountable thing that these men
seemed to share the mantle of their employer and somehow to claim
forgiveness, and get it, on the score of the inner excellence of their
hearts and purity of their motives.

So that within a day or two after her young ladyship's sudden appearance
at the fever-stricken mansion in Cavendish Square, Mrs. Burr put in her
first appearance at Sapps Court since she went away to the Hospital. She
was able to walk