to school with the cock lane ghost or the woman of who went to school with my grandmother miss la you know of course which was it that didn t mind what the clergyman said the cock lane ghost or the thirsty woman of the cock lane ghost i believe then i have no doubt said mrs that it was with him my great grandfather went to school for i know the master of his school was a and that would in a great measure for the cock lane ghost s in such an improper manner to the clergyman when he grew up ah train up a ghost � child i mean any further reflections on this theme were abruptly cut short by the arrival of tim and mr frank in the hurry of receiving whom mrs speedily lost sight of everything else i am so sorry is not at home said mrs my dear you must be both and yourself miss need be but herself said frank i � if i may venture to say so � oppose all change in her then at all events she shall press you to stay returned mrs mr says ten minutes but i cannot let you go so soon would be very much vexed i am sure my dear in obedience to a great number of and and of extra significance added her entreaties that the visitors would remain but it was that she addressed them exclusively to tim and there was besides a certain embarrassment in her manner which life and adventures of � it was as far from its character as the tinge it to her cheek was from her beauty was obvious at a glance even to mrs not being of a very character how ever save imder circumstances when her speculations could be put into words and uttered aloud that discreet matron attributed the emotion to the circumstance of her daughter s not happening to have her best frock on � though i never saw her look better certainly she reflected at the same time having settled the question in this way and being most complacently satisfied that in this as in all other instances her conjecture could not fail to be the right one mrs dismissed it from her thoughts and inwardly congratulated on being so shrewd and knowing did not come home nor did re appear but neither to say the truth had any great upon the little party who were all in the best humour possible indeed there sprung up quite a between miss la and tim who said a thousand and things and became by degrees quite gallant not to say tender little miss la on her part was in high spirits and tim on having remained a bachelor all his life with so much success that tim was actually induced to declare that if he could get anybody to have him he didn t know but what he might change his condition even yet miss la earnestly a lady she knew who would exactly suit mr and had a very comfortable property of her own but this latter had very little effect upon tim who protested that fortune would be no object with him but that true worth and cheerfulness of disposition were what a man should look for in a wife and that if he had these he could find money enough for the moderate wants of both this was considered so honourable to tim that neither mrs nor miss la could sufficiently it and stimulated by their praises tim launched out into several other also the of his heart and a great devotion to the fair sex which were received with no less approbation this was done and said with a of jest and earnest and leading to a great of laughter made them very merry indeed was commonly the life and soul of the conversation at home but was more silent usual upon this occasion � perhaps because tim and miss la engrossed so much of it � and keeping aloof from the sat at the window watching the shadows as the evening closed in and enjoying the quiet beauty of the night which seemed to have scarcely less for frank who first lingered near and then sat down beside her no doubt there are a great many things to be said appropriate to a summer evening and no doubt they are best said in a low voice as being most suitable to the ce and serenity of the hour long pauses too at times and then an earnest word or so and then another interval of silence which somehow does not seem like silence either and perhaps now and then a hasty turning away of the head or drooping of the eyes towards the � all these minor circumstances with a to have candles introduced and a tendency to con e hours with minutes are doubtless mere influences of the time as many lovely lips can clearly testify neither is there the slightest reason why mrs should have expressed surprise when � candles being at length brought in � s bright eyes were unable to bear the light which obliged her to her face and even to leave the room for some short time because when one has sat in the dark so long candles are dazzling and nothing c� m be more strictly natural than that such results should be produced as all weu informed young people know for that matter old people know it too or did know it once but they forget these things sometimes and more s the pity the good lady s surprise however did not end here it was greatly increased when it was discovered that had not the least appetite for supper a discovery so alarming that there is no knowing in what efforts of mrs s apprehensions might have been if the general attention had not been attracted at the moment 