"May I ask ?" he inquired, "whether the lady of whom you are speaking is Mrs. John Smith, of Temple-Bossington ?" And as he made the inquiry, the limp neck-cloth, and the dusty shoes, the heat of his hurried walk, and the effects of the choke were felt no more. Major Massie assented. "Then I fear, sir, that however unintentionally, I have been the cause of Mrs. Smith's disappointment. When I was deposited at the Cumberworth station the day before yesterday, the guard, whom I had, perhaps, made impatient by my remarking that the train was behind its time, threw down the box among my luggage, and started the train before I could make him understand what he had done. I did what I could to remedy the mishap by charging the Cumberworth station-master to forward the box by the next passenger-train, and by paying him to do so; but if I had looked after my own luggage as I ought, instead of getting into a discussion about the time-table, this very unfortunate circumstance would not have happened. I am sensible that I can do nothing now to atone for my share in what has given so much disappointment; but I hope you will not think me impertinent if I beg you to convey to your sister the expression of my apology, and very sincere regrets."

Major Massie had nothing for it but to make as good-humoured a reply as he could, and to apologise in turn for his own hasty judgment.

"You seem to take a particular interest in matters connected with the regulation of time," observed Mrs. Podlington, across the table. The words were spoken in a tone which might have only implied an amiable desire on the lady's part to change the conversation, and to put a stranger at his ease; but those who knew Mrs. Podlington understood them better. Amiability was not one of her weaknesses.

"I have not regulated my own as I ought to have done to-day," answered the culprit, simply, "or I should not have been guilty of the rudeness of coming to our kind host's table after you had sat down. I hope that he, too, will accept my apologies," he continued, looking towards Sir Tukesbury, whose gracious reply was anticipated by Mrs. Podlington's, "Not a doubt of it," uttered, as before, with much apparent civility, but with a slight curl of the lip, which conveyed to the rest of the party an expression of her conviction that the later the period of the Curate's arrival, the more agreeable would it have been to the company generally. "But, by the way, Mr. Smith," she asked, suddenly, "is it true that you induced poor Sir Tukesbury to alter the time of his stable clock, and so made him, and all the parish besides, too late to meet the Prince at Kettleby ?"

Certainly, madam; I apprized Sir Tukesbury of the difference between his stable clock and Greenwich time, (which I had an opportunity of obtaining on the previous morning) for I apprehended that the Royal party being so punctual, it was important he should have the correct time."

"And the Prince was true to his time, Mr. Smith. I know that for a fact. The Mayor had got the Greenwich time as well as yourself. Of course, Mr. Smith, you made a mistake."

"We are all liable to mistakes, Madam, but I took very particular notice, and my watch never plays me false."

"You are singularly fortunate, sir; of course you had not consulted it before you left home this evening, or you had not inquired what was Sir Tukesbury's dinner hour ?"

"Indeed, Madam, I had been particularly careful in both respects. I cannot explain what has happened, but Sir Tukesbury himself assured me that

his stable clock was not a good one, and the church clock at Cumberworth is a wretched affair."

"O yes," said the baronet, good-naturedly interposing, "I found the stable clock on the premises when I bought this place: it might have been here time out of mind."

"I am sure that time isn't likely to be out of any of our minds at present," continued Mrs. Podlington, warming with her subject. "There is nobody in the world, Sir Tukesbury, that is so good-natured as you are, and you and Lady Twigge bear your disappointment like angels: but every one can't be so forbearing. I only wish you could have heard what the Gladwins and the Henshaws said about it, or Admiral Venables. The Admiral was so vexed when he saw his poor little children crying at being excluded from the Town Hall, that he swore he'd call a parish meeting on the subject. He said the church clock had been put half-an-hour wrong. I hope to goodness, Mr. Smith, you had nothing to do with that; for if you had, you will find the place too hot to hold you!"

"Mrs. Podlington," exclaimed poor Lady Twigge, in despair, (the good soul had been sitting on thorns for the last half hour) "shall we go and have some coffee ?"

And making the move, which the other lady could not but follow, this pleasant conversation came to a close.

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CHAPTER X.

THE CARES OF OFFICE.

"Look; he is winding up the clock of his wit: by and by it will strike."

The Tempest.

"IF you please, sir," said Mrs. Finch to her lodger, on his return from Cumberworth Court, “Mrs. Beccles has been here twice since you have been out, wanting to see you."

Mr. Smith was looking somewhat weary and perturbed, and as if he would have liked to go straight to bed; but a call to anything like parish work seemed to revive him at once. "I'll go down to her directly, Mrs. Smith."

"Don't think of such a thing, sir, She has been in bed and asleep, no doubt, for hours. She has no one to sit up for," continued Mrs. Finch, as she feigned to suppress a yawn, "and always gets to bed in decent time. Mr. Blandy never used to go out at night, except in case of serious illness; indeed very seldom then, for I used my own judgment for the most part, and didn't say anything about it till morning. Sick folks are none the better for being disturbed in the middle of the night; and besides, I wasn't going to have a man like Mr. Blandy, that was delicate himself, called up to go racketing about the parish in the dark, and perhaps lose his way, and fall into the river. And it wasn't to be expected that at my time of life I could put up with having my rest broken, and may be catch my death with cold in going down stairs to open the door for him when he came back."

"Well, Mrs. Finch, I hope you will never put

yourself to that kind of trouble on my account. No doubt I shall often be out at night; but you have only to supply me with a latch-key, you

know..

"A latch-key, sir! did you say a latch-key? Why, I wouldn't have a latch-key on a door of mine, no, not to please Mr. Blandy himself. Mrs. Crackanthorpe used to say that it would be hard to tell who had done the devil's work best, the man that invented latch-keys, or lucifer-matches: it was murder made easy, she said, in both cases, only the man with the lucifer-match made it serve his purpose till he had killed his neighbour, and the man with the latch-key made it serve his purpose till he had killed himself,-his soul, if not his body, poor creature! No, sir, no latch-keys for me."

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As you please, my good madam," answered the Curate smiling; "though I hope I should not abuse the privilege, if you thought proper to confer it on me. Only you must distinctly understand that my time belongs to my flock, and that I am as much at their disposal at night as by day. Can you tell me what it was that Mrs. Beccles wanted: she is rather eccentric, is she not ?"

Well, sir, she was just in one of her queer ways when there is no knowing what she may say or do next. She is much to be pitied, no doubt, but she is uncommonly sly, sir, and that's the truth of it. If you don't take care, sir, you'll find she's too deep for you, and she seemed up in arms against you already, as it is; something about the alteration of the church clock, I believe; some of those great lads that had been to Kettleby and missed the show, had been abusing her; and she was quite put out: but she'll be sure to tell you all her troubles to-morrow. You had better take your candle, sir, and go to bed now. It has struck eleven." "Struck eleven!" ejaculated Mr. Smith.