The sun., 1893-11-02

draught, my dear Bell" said Mrs. Lilly,
in severe tone. "Y0u look painfully
flushed"
"Oh, 1t isn't painful at alv' replied
her daughter-in-law, smiling and show
ing two delightful dimples in her dam
ask-rose cheeks. Il get red directly,
and the day is hot. ! would rather sit
by the window"
1T is very dangerous to sit near an
Cpen window in the heated and fevered
condition you are in" persisted Mrs.
Lilly.
Bell rose with jerk and changed her
place.
"And how is Henrietta?" asked Mrs.
Lilly, after pause.
"Oh, Popsy's very well, bless her."
replied Mrs. Jack.
"Popsy, eh?" said Mr.. Lilly, showing
his long teeth, and looking round so as
to bespeak the attention of all present.
"How do YOU make out Popsy to be
short for Henrietta, ha? Hopsy would
be nearer the mark, eh?"
Mr.. Lilly set the example of laughing
at his own joke. He always did. And
it was q very good plan and prevented
mistakes.
Edgar and Emma laughed, too, in
a subdued giggle. Rebecca, who was
dressed with severe simplicity and wore
huge string of beads with a cross
round her neck, waited with folded
hands and downcast eyes until her
father should say grace after meat.
MY dear husband always called the
child Popsy," said Mrs. Jack, quickly,
"and shall keep the pet name he gave
her."
This time Mrs. Lilly might have been
justified in calling the flush on her
daughter-in-law's face painful" And
Mrs. Jacks bright eyes had tears in
them.
''Tut, tut, tut! No, no, no! Hopsy's
the thing; quite as pretty, and much
more like Henrietta" said Mr.. Lilly,
with fresh display Of teeth. lie
checked his laugh In the midst, when
his rolling eyes alghted on the down.
cast face of his daughter Rebecca, and,
somewhat hurriedly, recited q short
grace.
Upon this Miss Rebecca rose and
went away, saying shortly that she had
business to attend to. Emma got up,
too, and dawdled about the room in a
purposeless way; the great point of at
traction to which she had always re-
turned, as a moth to the candle-1ame,
being large looking glass over the
sideboard. Edgar bade his sister-ip=law
good day, and went down to the office,
'tAre you busy, Mr.. Lilly? Can /
say a word to you?" asked Bell, as
her father-in-law rose from the table,
Yes, Bell. Oh, yes, certainly, if you
don't mind my pipe. Come down into
the snuggery with the missis No se-
crets from the missis, suppose?
Mrs. Lilly and Bell followed the mas
ter of the house down stairs into
very tiny room-little more than
closet-with one long window down to
the ground, opGling ON the garden,
A honeysuckle, full of flower, hung
partly across it. A pleasant fragrance
was blown into the room from the old
fashioned garden full of box borders
and wallflowers and spicy carnations.
On a small, round table were set forth
q case of spirit bottles, a tumbler, lem=
ans, sugar, a stone pitcher of cold water,
q pouch of tobacco and long church.
warden pipe. Mrs. Lilly mixed a
tumb1er full Of cold gin and water
filled the pipe, gave it into her hus-
bands hand, lit it, and then sat down
with her needlework in one Of the
two arm chairs in the room. This
was the invariable custom in Percival
House and had been for more than
thirty years. There was never any
change in the proceedings, unless ILL
ness prevented Mrs. Lilly's presence in
the :snuggery," in which case her place
was taken by her eldest daughter
Mrs. Jack knew the routine, and
waited silently but with little impa-
tient tapping of her foot, until the grog
was mixed, and the pipe began to send
forth curling line Of smoke.
Then she drew her chair nearer to
her father-in-law. He sat sideways to
the window, leaning back in his easy
chair, and with his glass within easy
reach of his hand. His wife sat next
to him, facing the garden; his daughter
in-law opposite to him, at the little ta-
BILE; SO that a line drawn so as to
touch all three would have made a
kind of triangle, with the window for
its base.
Mrs. Jack leaned her clasped hands
on the table, and said very earnestly,
and yet with Q little flutter in her
voice and her face: ':Look here, Mr.
Lilly, I want to speak to you very seri.
pusly.a