as
a spy; a certain Mr. Scroope Purvis, the brother of Mrs. Ricketts,
completing the party. He was a little, rosy-cheeked old man, with a limp
and a stutter, perpetually running about retailing gossip, which, by
some accident or other, he invariably got all wrong, never, on even the
most trifling occasion, being able to record a fact as it occurred.

Such were the individuals of a group which sat around the fire in close
and secret confab., Mrs. Ricketts herself placed in the midst, her fair
proportions gracefully disposed in a chair whose embroidery displayed
all the quarterings and emblazonment of her family for centuries back.
The "Bill" before the house was the Onslows, whose res gestee were
causing a most intense interest everywhere.

"Have dey return your call, madam?" asked the Pole, with an almost
imperceptible glance beneath his dark brows.

"Not yet, Count; we only left our cards yesterday." This, be it said in
parenthesis, was "inexact," the visit had been made eight days before.
"Nor should we have gone at all, but Lady Foxington begged and entreated
we would. 'They will be so utterly without guidance of any kind,' she
said, 'you must really take them in hand.'"

"And you will take dem in your hand eh?"

"That depends, my dear Count, that depends," said she, pondering. "We
must see what line they adopt here; rank and wealth have no influence
with us if ununited with moral and intellectual excellence."

"I take it, then, your circle will be more select than amusing this
winter," said Haggerstone, with one of his whip-cracking enunciations.

"Be it so, Colonel," sighed she, plaintively. "Like a lone beacon on a
rock, with I forget the quotation."

"With the phos-phos-phos-phate of lime upon it?" said Purvis, "that new
discov-co-covery?"

"With no such thing! A figure is, I perceive, a dangerous mode of
expression."

"Ha! ha! ha!" cried he, with a peculiar cackle, whose hysteric notes
always carried himself into the seventh heaven of enjoyment, "you would
cut a pretty figure if you were to be made a beacon of, and be burned
like Moses. Ha! ha! ha!"

The lady turned from him in disdain, and addressed the Colonel.

"So you really think that they are embarrassed, and that is the true
reason of their coming abroad?"

"I believe I may say I know it, ma'am!" rejoined he. "There is a kind of
connection between our families, although I should be very sorry they 'd
hear of it, the Badelys and the Harrin