wered Cummings. "Laws me! colour is
nothing after all; and black fingers can handle a graver as well as white
ones, I expect."

"I thought it best to ask you, to avoid any after difficulty. You have both
been in the establishment so long, that I felt that you ought to be
consulted."

"You needn't have taken that trouble," said Dalton. "You might have known
that anything done by your father's son, would be satisfactory to us. I
never had anything to do with coloured people, and haven't anything against
them; and as long as you are contented I am."

"Well, we all have our little prejudices against various things; and as I
did not know how you both would feel, I thought I wouldn't take any decided
steps without consulting you; but now I shall consider it settled, and will
let the lad know that I will take him."

In the evening, he hastened home at an earlier hour than usual, and
delighted his wife by saying--"I have succeeded to a charm, my dear--there
wasn't the very slightest objection. I'm going to take the boy, if he
wishes to come." "Oh, I'm delighted," cried she, clapping her hands. "Cry
hurrah for papa!" said she to the baby; "cry hurrah for papa!"

The scion of the house of Burrell gave vent to some scarcely intelligible
sounds, that resembled "Hoo-rogler pop-pop!" which his mother averred was
astonishingly plain, and deserving of a kiss; and, snatching him up, she
gave him two or three hearty ones, and then planted him in his father's lap
again."

"My dear," said her husband, "I thought, as you proposed my taking this
youth, you might like to have the pleasure of acquainting him with his good
fortune. After tea, if you are disposed, we will go down there; the walk
will do you good."

"Oh, George Burrell," said she, her face radiant with pleasure, "you are
certainly trying to outdo yourself. I have been languishing all day for a
walk! What a charming husband you are! I really ought to do something for
you. Ah, I know what--I'll indulge you; you may smoke all the way there and
back. I'll even go so far as to light the cigars for you myself."

"That is a boon," rejoined her husband with a smile; "really 'virtue
rewarded,' I declare."

Tea over, the baby kissed and put to bed, Mrs. Burrell tied on the most
bewitching of bonnets, and donning her new fur-trimmed cloak, declared
herself ready for the walk; and off they started. Mr. Burrell puffed away
luxuriously as they walked along, stopping now and then at h