that papa and Mrs. Traisher were going to Denmark Hill soon, to visit grandpapa, and they went this morning; and we all agreed that we should be the more cheerful if your busy and highly-popular ladyship would honour us with your company. I was half afraid I should find you up to the elbows in papers and books of reference, pleading of course some insuperable obstacle to your leaving Cleveland Cottage today; but I am most agreeably disappointed. Please put on your bonnet at once, that we may have a long day; and, remember, you are not to return home to-night; you are to stay at Florence House, and join our body-guard there assembled, and assist,' of course, if we have an adventure in the shape of a gang of robbers."

"An adventure would really be inspiriting. I am feeling as tame as pussy there, who never catches any mice because that species of game is nearly extinct in our household. But still, I should prefer the thieves outside the house. The sensation might be too decided if we four women and the maids were called upon to do battle with an accomplished gang of housebreakers. However, Ellice dear, it was very good of you and your sisters to want me, and I never felt more inclined for your society; and I am quite ready to cast in my lot with yours till this time to-morrow, and to take Florence House for better and for worse, the babies, if they are left behind, the midnight marauders, and possible apparitions included.

"Thanks! just what I wanted! The babies are left behind. Mrs. Traisher has never carried them about with her since her continental experiences; and now there are three it would be a still more difficult undertaking. And Franky is such a naughty darling!-quite a rebel, equal to any of Mrs. Merton's ramping progeny. He laid us under water again last week."

66 He did what?"

"Did I not tell you of his first grand exploit, which, however, was not nearly so serious as that which he has just performed."

"No, indeed! tell me now. What mischief has the blue-eyed rogue been up to?-the little monkey!"

"Little monkey, indeed! You know our new bath-room on the first bedroom storey, and you know the water is very properly laid on, hot and cold, and there is always plenty of it, and the apparatus is quite easily managed. Well, about two months ago, as Franky was on his way from the breakfast-room to the nursery, he paid a visit to the bath, with scientific views, his mamma declares; and he managed to turn on the cold water, and, as he afterwards informed us, watch it rise nearly to overflowering. Being suddenly called, he ran away, and very soon after, Fanny, who was practising in the back drawing-room, saw a patch of wet or damp quickly forming on the cornice. She ran upstairs imagining the room above must be flooded, but she found it in perfect eder, and as dry as possible. Crossing the long passage on that storey,

she heard water running, and entering the bath-room, found herself in a perfect sea. The room, you know, goes down a step, so it filled like a pond, and the water was gradually soaking under the skirting-board into the back drawing-room, which lies exactly at right angles below. Fanny at once divined how the mischief had occurred, and one turn of the tap stopped the current, and the servants were immediately called to the rescue. Master Franky at once confessed himself the author of the disaster, and was well scolded, of course, though he stoutly refused to promise never to play the same naughty trick again. If he once promised, child as he is, we knew he would keep his word."

"That he would. He has never learnt to be afraid of anyone, therefore he speaks the truth. And you have really had a second edition ?" "A second edition, with amplifications! After the first performance we always turned the key, which went very hard, feeling sure his little fingers would never be able to unturn it; and for some weeks they could not, or did not, and we had almost forgotten the circumstance, when last Thursday he treated us to a second and more effectual deluge. The little boudoir was flooded, and the cornice in the back drawingroom sadly disfigured; and cook, going upstairs for something, met a trickling stream fast making its way to the first landing. This time Master Franky was punished, and he seemed penitent, and declared he would never do it again unless he wanted to very much indeed.' So we thought the safest plan was to provide against such an exigency; and as we happened to have a great stout brass-bolt in the house-fit for a church door, papa said-we sent for the man who does our little jobs, and yesterday he put it on securely enough, far above the reach of the tiresome little rogue. So in future I hope we shall not be exposed to impromptu inundations."

"I hope not, indeed, the naughty little thing! Now, Ellice, I am at your service."

I met Mrs. Dale in the hall, and told her I was not returning till the following day; and in a few minutes we were making the best of our way up Praed-street, into the Edgware-road. The walk revived me, and I felt quite in spirits when I walked up the fine laurel-shaded drive of Florence House.

CHAPTER XXII.

A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE.

As Ellice had predicted, I found a hearty welcome from Margaret and Fanny, both of whom, by-the-bye, were greatly improved since our first introduction, on board the Boulogne steamer, two years before. Margaret was engaged very happily, and her marriage was to take place in the following spring. Her mere prettiness had developed into positive beauty. Her affianced husband, a man of very superior and cultivated

mind, had unbounded influence over her; and he had certainly brought to light traits hitherto unsuspected in the character of the too mild and yielding Margaret. A positive soul shone forth in her deep blue eyes, an air of serious thought and becoming gravity had replaced, the girlish gaiety of other years; what was lost in mere good-tempered riant smiles and dimples was gained in added sweetness and depth of expression. Everyone remarked how very lovely Margaret Traisher had grown; but few, perhaps, noticed the particular changes to which I have alluded. Fanny was bright and sparkling as ever, but more womanly; she, too, was bonnier in every way; and Ellice, my dear Ellice, was just her own good, sweet self, with many an added grace, however, the product of discipline and self-communion, during those two years which had slipped away with so little to record, as concerned her and myself, with so much of eventful significance to Margaret, and many others with whom we were personally acquainted.

We enjoyed our luncheon, which we determined should stand for dinner, and Ellice ordered an early tea, because, as she said, she knew Evelyn, like all literary people, rejoiced in the mild inebriation of a good cup of tea, And all that quiet drowsy afternoon we sewed and chatted. Ellice, Fanny, and I, recalled old scenes, and talked of our Paris tour, while Margaret wrote to her betrothed, who was just then absent from town. The early tea was very welcome, for we all felt in need of something to freshen us up-all except Margaret, who seemed to have found some wondrous stimulant in the letter-writing, which engaged her from three o'clock till nearly five.

Franky and Nellie, the two elder children, came down to tea, as a great indulgence. Nellie was a sweet, calm little creature, another Ellice in miniature, and she ate her bread-and-butter and her one slice of cake and handled her china-mug with all the propriety of a young lady. But Master Franky insisted upon investigating the mechanism of the tea-urn, and trying how much viclence it required to break a cut glass cream-jug. He was of a very inquiring turn of mind, his mamma averred, and altogether scientific in his tendencies. I-undazzled by maternal partiality-saw only that he was extremely mischievous and self-willed. But he was a noble little fellow-that son and heir of the house of Traisher-and needed only a little wise training to make him all that his doting parents imagined him to be. He was sadly spoiled, that was certain; father, mother, and sisters all did their part, and even Ellice, the wisest of the family, and the most conscientious, frequently allowed herself to be conquered by a roguish smile, a glance from those saucy blue eyes, and a coaxing-"Please do," or, "Please don't," dear sister Ellie."

After tea baby was brought down, and we nursed her, the pretty little waxen darling, while Mrs. Nurse and Esther, the maid, put Franky and Nellie to bed. Then we had music and singing. Margaret

had a lovely voice, and she had lately been taking lessons in two schools --the one of science and the other of feeling-so that now her singing was very nearly perfection. And Ellice, the most delightful of accompaniment players, took the pianoforte, and we had quite a charming impromptu concert. Presently, from music we passed into close and interesting conversation; and nine o'clock found us sitting in luxurious abandon round a cheerful fire, discussing our sandwiches and wine and water.

"You may go to bed as soon as you like," said Ellice to the servant who carried out the tray; "you were all up very early this morning. We want nothing more; but tell cook to fasten all the doors securely; I shall go round myself."

"How odd it seems to be setting here all by ourselves," said Fanny, presently; "I do not quite relish the idea of having no man in the house. We might have asked James to sleep here." James was the

man-servant, who did not live in the house: he was a married man, and had his own dwelling elsewhere.

"There is nothing to be afraid of," said Ellice, quietly; "we have been without papa before."

"Yes, but not without mamma."

"I am afraid Mrs. Traisher would not count for much if we really required protection. She is an excellent chaperone, but as for her efficiency in case of a midnight alarm, I would rather not rely upon it." "Nor I either," rejoined Margaret, "and I must say, that considering we are left here to our own resources, we are very unwise to choose danger from thieves as a subject of conversation; let us talk about something else."

"Agreed!" returned Ellice; "but really, you silly girl, one would think we were living in some lone country house, instead of the Edgware Road, with its gas-lamps and policemen, and neighbours within call, as one may say."

"Not exactly within call," replied Fanny; "the Carruthers are our nearest friends, and we should have to run nearly to the Carlton Road for them, you know: it would be useless to summon the four Misses Gilbertson to our aid, did we require any; they are all as timid as hares.” The Edgware Road, I must first say, was not then so populous a neighbourhood as it is at present. Many houses were built, and as far as I can recollect, one or two terraces; but there was much unbroken ground, and several newly-cut roads, where it was proposed to erect handsome and spacious residences. Florence House was a large, commodious detached villa, or rather mansion; for besides half-a-dozen fine reception rooms, and excellent offices, it boasted of ten or twelve comfortable sleeping apartments, the most inferior of good size and delightful altitude. But though we ceased to discuss the probability of our slumbers being disturbed by housebreakers, we managed to converse on

themes by no means desirable, seeing we actually were left alone in a large house, on the outskirts of London, and were, for the most part, either of timorous or nervous temperaments. Somehow, we began to talk about ghosts, and supernatural appearances, and mysterious sounds that could not be accounted for; and Fanny had a strange story to tell us that she had been reading in some magazine-Blackwood's, I think --only the day before. I am not going to repeat it here, though I remember it as accurately as if I had heard it only yesterday. I only know we talked ourselves into such a state of extreme nervousness that 1, for my part, hardly liked to look behind me to the far end of the great shadowy dining-room; that Margaret screamed when a coal dropped suddenly out of the nearly extinct fire; and that even Ellice started when she thought she heard something like a footstep in the lobby without. "Let us go to bed," said Fanny; "we have the horrors, that is certain, and the longer we stay the worse it will be. But, Ellice, don't turn off the gas to-night."

"I do not intend. I shall keep mine burning, and I shall leave the staircase lamp alight. Evelyn, the blue room is ready for you; but perhaps you would rather sleep with me ?"

"Indeed I would. I will never again listen to ghost stories at night, nor discuss the supernatural. I am no heroine.

have expired with fright in the Castle of Udolpho."

66

I should, certainly, 'Don't mention it," said Ellice, with a shudder. "I read it by stealth, when I was a little girl, and dearly I paid for my disobedience; for months I went to bed every night in an agony of apprehension. expecting I know not what, but lying awake for hours, with my head under the clothes, streaming with perspiration, and trembling in every limb. That was eating of the forbidden fruit with a vengeance."

Margaret and Fanny gathered up their work-baskets, and put away the loose music; then they wished us "good night," and went upstairs. Evelyn," said Ellice, "I'm very silly to-night. I should like to read the 27th Psalm before I go round the house."

"That is not silly."

"No! I expressed myself stupidly. I mean that I am feeling ridiculously timid, and that would help me to get strength and compo sure better than anything else. It is positive pain to be so nervous.' "It is, indeed. Let us read the Psalm."

And we read it, sitting close together, with the great Bible before us. our arms round each other, taking each verse in turn-Ellice the first, I the second, and so on to the end of the Psalm. It was like new wine to our trembling hearts. The voice of God Himself seemed to be assuring us of His almighty protection; and the opening words "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" gave us a strange sweet sense of safety and protection. Our tremor