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Jib—whom the idea of leaving appalled—was not long about it: he went up to cook, who slipped on her dress, and changed her cap, and came down in a singularly short space of time; but mark! followed by Susan, whose deep indignation had had the effect of keeping her on the qui vive.

"Cook," said Tom; "I do dot care buch about the glass: by chief object is truth, to which I expect you will adhere. Dow, what do you kdow about this?"

"All I know, sir, about it, is this: that I heard a tremendious noise like an earthquake, and got up, and called out, and found it was a ghost."

"Did you see this—ghost?"

"No, sir; I did'nt see it exactly; but James did."

"How do you kdow that?"

"He told me so."

"Is that all you kdow?"

"I don't know nothing more, sir."

"But I do," said Susan; "and a good deal more, too."

"Well! what do you kdow?"

"Why, sir, I know this; I'll not live in any house where there's such goings on."

"What do you bead?"

"I mean, sir, that I heard a noise, but a very different sort of a noise from that of an earthquake; and when I came out to ascertain what it was, who should I see but Mister James comfortably sitting on Missis Cook's bed, and she a cuddling of him with very great affection."

"Cook," said Tom; "I fadcied that you were a strictly virtuous persod."

"And so I am, sir. I'll defy the world to prove that I am not. This envious creature's jealous, sir; that's it."

"Jealous!" cried Susan.

"Yes, jealous! But if you will but listen, sir—"

"I feel boudd to do so."

"Then, sir, I'll tell you exactly how it all occurred. I heard a noise, as I before said, and called out to know what it was, when James ran up and told me he'd just seen a ghost, I was frightened of course—very frightened—so frightened, I didn't know what to do; and as James felt ill and wanted some water, I gave him some, and he sat on my bed. We then talked about the ghost, and while we were talking, James fainted away, and it was as I was trying to bring him round that Susan entered the room and saw us."

"You have spoken the truth, cook?" suggested Tom.

"I have, sir, indeed. I'd repeat the words if they were the last I had to speak."

"He faidted, you say? absolutely faidted?"

"He did, sir; and I couldn't bring him to until I'd thrown the whole jug of water over him."

"It's all very fine," observed Susan, who was not all satisfied; "very fine, indeed."