sp out:

'Lor' me! is they here ag'in?'

'Who?' demanded Harson, not a little surprised at the pale face of his
housekeeper.

'The robbers.'

'Poh, poh, nonsense!' replied he, perhaps not a little annoyed by the
reflection that his own manner had contributed to her mistake. 'There are
no greater thieves here than our two selves. Perhaps I _did_ speak rather
loud; but I was not thinking of what I was about. I shall have some
friends to dine with me to-morrow, and you must get things ready for them.
There may be six, or eight, or a dozen; damme! I don't know how many; but
have enough for twenty; d'ye hear?'

Martha curtseyed, at the same time intimating in a faint tone, that she
_did_ hear; for she had not entirely recovered from the embarrassment
attendant on the precipitancy of her advent into his presence.

'And hark ye!' continued Harson, warming as he went on; 'Frank's the very
devil and all; we'll tap the cask in the corner of the cellar. It's prime
stuff, which I've kept for some great occasion; and this is a glorious
one. And there's the fat saddle of mutton, hanging in the store room:
we'll have that. It'll be the very thing for the half-starved boy we've
found; and bring down a bottle or two of the red-seal wine; that of 1812.
It'll wake up old Dick Holmes, and make him ten years younger. There's no
fear of giving _him_ the gout. Ha, ha! Dick Holmes with the gout! I'd like
to see that!' exclaimed he, bursting out into a broad laugh at the bare
idea of such a catastrophe. 'Well, well,' added he, after a minute's
consideration, 'you may go, Martha. Upon the whole, I think I'll get the
things myself, and go to market too. There, that's all.'

Harson's spirits however were too exuberant to permit him to remain quiet;
for after he had returned to the room, drawn a chair to the fire, thrown
on a few sticks of wood, seated himself with a foot on each andiron,
folded his hands complacently over his abdomen, and fixed his eyes upon
the clock, as if it were a settled thing that he was to retain this
attitude for at least an hour, or perhaps a year, he suddenly started up,
thrust his thumbs in his waistcoat pockets, and walked up and down the
room, whistling with all his might; but even by whistling, he was unable
to work off his surplus of buoyancy. It was evidently gaining ground upon
him, do what he would. He had reached his present state by rapid stages.
From a feeling of complacency he had passed to one of high