_roues_ with whom
he associated.

The waiters, who happened not to be in the way as he ascended the
stairs, had not announced to him the arrival of his wife, who was
sitting on the sofa in her bonnet and shawl, one hand full of notes and
letters, the superscriptions of which were evidently in a female hand--
and the other holding her handkerchief, as if prepared for a scene. One
leg was crossed over the other, and the foot of the one that was above
worked in the air, up and down, with the force of a piston of a
steam-engine, indicative of the propelling power within--when
Rainscourt, whose voice was heard all the way upstairs, arrived at the
landing-place, and, in answer to a question of one of his companions,
replied--

"Go and see her! Not I--I'm quite tired of her--By Jove, I'd as soon
see my wife;" and as he finished the sentence, entered the apartment,
where the unexpected appearance of Mrs Rainscourt made him
involuntarily exclaim, "Talk of the devil--"

"And she appears, sir," replied the lady, rising, and making a profound
courtesy.

"Pooh, my dear," replied Rainscourt, embarrassed, and unwilling that a
scene should take place before his companions--"I was only joking."

"Good morning, Rainscourt," said one of his friends--"I'm afraid that I
shall be _de trop_."

"And I'm off too, my dear fellow, for there's no saying how the joke may
be taken," added the other, following his companion out of the room.

Emily ran up to her father, and took his hand; and Rainscourt, who was
as much attached to his daughter as his selfish character would permit,
kissed her forehead. Both parties were for a short time silent. Both
preferred to await the attack, rather than commence it; but in a trial
of forbearance of this description, it may easily be supposed that the
gentleman gained the victory. Mrs Rainscourt waited until she found
that she must either give vent to her feelings by words, or that her
whole frame would explode; and the action commenced on her side with a
shower of tears, which ended in violent hysterics. The first were
unheeded by her husband, who always considered them as a kind of scaling
her guns previous to an engagement; but the hysterics rather baffled
him. In his own house, he would have rung for the servants and left
them to repair damages; but at an hotel, an eclat was to be avoided, if
possible.

"Emily, my dear, go to your mother--you know how to help her."

"No, I do not, papa," s