the cause of her outcries, replied:--

"Dere's a strange cat in de house--wild cat too, I raly b'lieve;" and
spying Tom at that moment beneath the table, she made another dash at him
for a renewal of hostilities.

"Why that's Tom," exclaimed Robberts; "don't you know your own cat?"

"Oh," she replied, "dat ar isn't Tom now, is it? Why, what's the matter wid
him?"

Robberts then gave her a detailed account of the transactions of the
previous night, in which account the share Charlie had taken was greatly
enlarged and embellished; and the wrathful old woman was listening to the
conclusion when Charlie entered. Hardly had he got into the room, when,
without any preliminary discussion, aunt Rachel--to use her own
words--pitched into him to give him particular fits. Now Charlie, not being
disposed to receive "particular fits," made some efforts to return the hard
compliments that were being showered upon him, and the advice of Kinch
providentially occurring to him--respecting an attack upon the
understanding of his venerable antagonist--he brought his hard shoes down
with great force upon her pet corn, and by this _coup de pied_ completely
demolished her. With a loud scream she let him go; and sitting down upon
the floor, declared herself lamed for life, beyond the possibility of
recovery. At this stage of the proceedings, Robberts came to the rescue of
his aged coadjutor, and seized hold of Charlie, who forthwith commenced
so brisk an attack upon his rheumatic shins, as to cause him to beat a
hurried retreat, leaving Charlie sole master of the field. The noise that
these scuffles occasioned brought Mrs. Thomas into the kitchen, and Charlie
was marched off by her into an upstairs room, where he was kept in "durance
vile" until the arrival of his mother.

Mrs. Thomas had a strong liking for Charlie--not as a boy, but as a
footman. He was active and intelligent, and until quite recently, extremely
tractable and obedient; more than all, he was a very good-looking boy, and
when dressed in the Thomas livery, presented a highly-respectable
appearance. She therefore determined to be magnanimous--to look over past
events, and to show a Christian and forgiving spirit towards his
delinquencies. She sent for Mrs. Ellis, with the intention of desiring her
to use her maternal influence to induce him to apologize to aunt Rachel for
his assault upon her corns, which apology Mrs. Thomas was willing to
guarantee should be accepted; as f