f I do not succeed in
making the house too warm to hold that respectable individual, within
ten minutes, I shall certainly leave it myself!" Just then the words
"thirty-two," from the Colonel's lips, met his ear, and though he did
not catch the context, so as to know what it was all about, the spirit
of malicious (and it must be said, reckless) mischief, prompted him to
lounge leisurely forward and take a share in the conversation, although
uninvited.

"Ah, Colonel, did I understand you to say thirty-two?"

"Yes, I said thirty-two!" said the personage addressed, with a stiffness
contrasting very forcibly with the suavity of his speech to Aunt Martha.
Emily, who, as may be supposed, knew Frank Wallace better than any other
person in the house, at that moment caught a glimpse of his face under
the chandelier, and saw that trouble was brewing. The _sulk_ had gone,
and the _badger_, a much more dangerous devil in society, had taken its
place. Two antagonistic acids were certainly coming together, and an
explosion was very likely to be the result. Yet what could the poor girl
do, except to wait the crash and be ready to act as peacemaker when the
worst came to the worst? The one thing she would have liked to do, was
precisely the thing she dared not do for her life--that was, to spring
up, catch her young lover by the arm, drag him out into the garden, pet
him a good deal and kiss him a very little, and send him home doubtful
whether he was walking on his head or his heels--while her old beau
might spend the whole evening, if he liked, with Aunt Martha. Millie
would give her bright eyes to be able to do the same thing with Tom,
stately Madame _mere_, when all she dares do in your presence is to sit
still, answer in monosyllables, steal sly glances when you are not
looking, and be generally dull and stupid. Would it not be well to let
them out occasionally, Madame _mere_, for half an hour's play, with full
consent and confidence, as they let out the colts in the country? Who
knows but they might behave the better for it, when out of your sight
altogether? Think of it, Madame _mere_, and make public the result of
your experiment! But all this is grossly irrelevant, and springs out of
the fact that Emily, who wished to drag Frank Wallace out of the danger
of an approaching _melee_, had not the power to do so.

"Indeed I always thought there were thirty-_nine_!" said the young
scamp, in the most natural tone of surprise imagin