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my boy, as to whether she opened the street-door yesterday to the old hairdresser, this and yesterday morning; and be sure you do not betray yourself to her."

"I will, sir; I'll question her, and I be none of the betraying folks."

The curiosity of Place and Hobbs was at its highest pitch. Place gave sly hints to Hobbs of the great confidence master had in him: Hobbs rejoined, "Place knew no secrets of miester's, but he did."

Harriet was not to be sifted so easily as the admiral imagined; for the moment Hobbs broached the subject of Bobbin John's being there that morning, the faithful Foote asked, "Who let him in ?"

"Not Place," replied Hobbs.

"I suppose Mr. Hobbs, then," said she.

"I only asked a civil question, Har

riet, and a civil question always requires a civil answer."

"When civil people put a question, they put it with civility; am I the porter, you saucy, prying fellow? Go and ask the watch-dog Place: if he was not asleep in his great den of a chair, he should know who comes in and who goes out; but there be some folks that would be great folks by doing dirty things; but thank God I were better bred than to gratiate myself with any master or mistress, by bringing other people into trouble."

Why don't you go and hask Miss who let her hairdresser in, you sneaking vretch ?"

This was too much for Hobbs's blood.

"You butler's piece," he exclaimed; "did I hever go the play with any of the servants, and stay hout all night; and come hinto the ouse a

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morning, sneaking through the stables, and then under the waulted passage, till you got hinto the garden, and through the three yards of Shrubbery, till you got down the back arear stairs into his pantry."

"You nasty, rotten,stinking breathed, polluted vretch, go to the hospital, and see Fanny Kettle; the poor girl has lost her place, lost her character, and now's nothing but skin and bones through you, you filthy hypocrite; get out of my sight, ye blackguard, or I'll throw this pan full of starch in your face, ye bastard; go and hask your poor hold mother who your father is, you mean, meddling scoundrel." And she looked for something, and Hobbs thought it was a dish-clout or a spoon, and retreated, but not with his face to the door, in case of an accident. The starch was boiling hot, and if he had received the contents of

the pan, he would not have been the first whom Harriet had assailed in her wrath with what came first to her hand; and Harriet, the instant he left the laundry, ran to Caroline's room, and imparted the spunging question Hobbs put to her.

Miss Caroline immediately suspected she was betrayed, or that Charles had been discovered; and she was too much agitated to be able to go abroad all day, or to Mrs. Major's rout in the evening; but she and Harriet laid their plans for the next morning.

CHAPTER XIII.

Though light as cork thy fancy strays,
Thy passions wild as angry seas

When vex'd with storms; yet gladly I
With thee would live, with thee would die.

FRANCIS.

NEXT morning, Charles came a-la Bobbin John, and rung the bell; Harriet was on the watch; and Place, who observed her, pretended to be fast asleep in his chair. Harriet flew to the door, and let in the disguised lieutenant; and Place, with more than ordinary agility, made his way to the admiral's bed-chamber.

"Sir, sir, sir!" "Who's there?"

"Sir! he's come!"

"Who's come?"

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