e, what made him praytind to be a British
nobleman?"

"Oh, Your Royal Majesty!" said Mrs. Russell, in deep distress.

"Spake on, fair an' beaucheous one," said "His Majesty," with great
gallantry. "Spake on. Our r'y'l bosom's full, so it is, av tindirist
sintimints. Power forth yer story into our r'y'l ear.
Come--or--whisht! Come over here an' sit by our r'y'l side."

Saying this, "His Majesty" moved over to one end of the bench and sat
there. Unfortunately, as he placed himself on the extreme end, the
bench tilted up and the royal person went down. Katie, who was always
yery volatile, tittered audibly and Dolores did the same. But "His
Majesty" took no offence. The fact is he laughed himself, and bore it
all magnanimously, in fact royally. He picked himself up as nimbly as
a common person could have done.

"Be the powers!" said he, "whin the King loses his gravity, it's
toime for everybody else to lose his. But come along, jool, come an'
sit by our r'y'l side, an' tell us the story."

Mrs. Russell had turned quite pale at the royal fall, and paler yet
at the sound of Katie's laugh, but these words reassured her. They
seemed to show that she, unworthy and humble, was singled out in a
special manner to be the mark of royal favor. And why? Was it on her
own account, or for some other reason? She chose to consider that it
was on her own account. At the renewed request of "His Majesty,"
which was so kind, so tender, and at the same time so flattering, she
could no longer resist, but with fluttering heart, shy timidity, and
girlish embarrassment, she went over to "His Majesty" and seated
herself on the bench by his side.

[Illustration: "The Bench Tilted Up, And The Royal Person Went
Down."]

The manner of Mrs. Russell, which had all the airs and graces of a
village coquette, together with the bashfulness of a school miss,
seemed to Katie and Dolores, but especially Katie, a very rich and
wondrous thing. She always knew that Mrs. Russell was a gushing,
sentimental creature, but had never before seen her so deeply
affected. But on this occasion the good lady felt as though she was
receiving the homage of the King, and might be excused if she had all
the sensations of a court beauty.

Mrs. Russell now, at "His Majesty's" renewed request, began to
explain the position of her husband. He was a tailor, it is true, but
not by any means a common tailor. In fact, he associated exclusively
with the aristocracy. He was