r improving
the shining hour by reading amusing extracts from her favourite volumes,
gentle anecdotes of Chinese and Hottentot converts, and incidents from
missionary travel. George Barnes, a wily young diplomatist, insinuated
Galignani, and hinted that Kew might like a novel; and a profane work
called Oliver Twist having appeared about this time, which George read
out to his family with admirable emphasis, it is a fact that Lady Walham
became so interested in the parish boy's progress, that she took his
history into her bedroom (where it was discovered, under Blatherwick's
Voice from Mesopotamia, by her ladyship's maid), and that Kew laughed so
immensely at Mr. Bumble, the Beadle, as to endanger the reopening of his
wound.

While, one day, they were so harmlessly and pleasantly occupied, a great
whacking of whips, blowing of horns, and whirring of wheels was heard in
the street without. The wheels stopped at their hotel gate; Lady Walham
started up; ran through the garden door, closing it behind her; and
divined justly who had arrived. The landlord was bowing; the courier
pushing about; waiters in attendance; one of them, coming up to
pale-faced Lady Walham; said, "Her Excellency the Frau Graefinn von Kew
is even now absteiging."

"Will you be good enough to walk into our salon, Lady Kew?" said
the daughter-in-law, stepping forward and opening the door of that
apartment. The Countess, leaning on her staff, entered that darkened
chamber. She ran up towards an easy-chair, where she supposed Lord Kew
was. "My dear Frank!" cries the old lady; "my dear boy, what a pretty
fright you have given us all! They don't keep you in this horrid noisy
room facing that----Ho--what is this?" cries the Countess, closing her
sentence abruptly.

"It is not Frank. It is only a bolster, Lady Kew, and I don't keep him
in a noisy room towards the street," said Lady Walham.

"Ho! how do you do? This is the way to him, I suppose;" and she went to
another door--it was a cupboard full of the relics of Frank's illness,
from which Lady Walham's mother-in-law shrunk back aghast. "Will you
please to see that I have a comfortable room, Maria; and one for my
maid, next me? I will thank you to see yourself," the Empress of Kew
said, pointing with her stick, before which many a time the younger lady
had trembled.

This time Lady Walham only rang the bell. "I don't speak German; and
have never been on any floor of the house but this. Your servant had