for my successors." Mr. Pike quotes a very
long list of the authorities and documents which
he consulted in the composition of his work,
but does not quote Dr. Nicholas—for the sufficient
reason that Dr. Nicholas had not then
written on the subject. Dr. Nicholas also quotes
his authorities, among which the book of Mr.
Pike does not appear.

THE BROWN-PAPER PARCEL.
IN FIVE CHAPTERS. CHAPTER V.

THE result of the above conversation was
that, early in the afternoon of the following
day, the village street of Farley was
enlivened by the appearance of Mr. Langley's
barouche, with Mrs. Lester inside. The
powdered footman attached to this equipage,
descending at the curate's door, gave
such a succession of bangs with the rarely
used knocker, that the whole house shook,
and poor Mrs. Mackworth nearly jumped
out of her chair. In another moment
the open-eyed maid-servant had shown in
Mrs. Lester: a mass of black velvet and
white fur, so flowing and voluminous that
the tiny square parlour seemed hardly large
enough to contain her drapery.

Mrs. Mackworth, always gentle and self-
possessed, was not at all discomposed by this
apparition, nor by the consciousness of her
own well-worn merino, and the ungainly
basket of tattered garments, which lay, as
usual, at her feet.

Mary was in the kitchen, her sleeves
tucked up and her arms all over flour,
engaged in the manufacture of certain cakes,
the recipe for which she had obtained from
Mrs. Halroyd's cook, and which were
destined to tempt Cilla's fanciful appetite at
supper. She was singing gaily at her
work, when Cilla burst in, her pale cheeks
flushed scarlet, her blue eyes dancing with
excitement.

"Mary! Mary! What do you think? Mrs.
Lester is here—in the parlour with mamma
—oh! my hair! my hair!"

"Oh! my cakes! my cakes!" said
Mary; " however they're in a state that
they can be left, luckily." And as soon as
she could free her hands from flour, and
divest herself of the great apron which
defended her dress, she helped to arrange
those bright tanglesome locks of Cilla's,
which never would lie flat, but which happily
looked all the prettier for disarray.

The sisters entered together to hear Mrs.
Mackworth saving:

"It is very, very kind, and it would be a
great pleasure to the girls, and my son too
—but I don't know."

"I must get them to intercede," said Mrs.
Lester, as she shook hands with Mary and
gave a kind greeting to Cilla: "my brother
has charged me to say how much he hopes
you will all come to his ball on the 13th.
Mrs. Mackworth says it is out of the question
for herself or Mr. Mackworth; but as I tell
her, I should be charmed to be your chaperone.
Persuade her to let you come."

Mary and Cilla looked at each other, and
never did two pair of eyes beam with greater
delight. But then Mary glanced at her
mother.

"If you don't mind our going, mamma, I
can manage everything," said Mary, in a
low voice.

The end of the discussion was that
Mrs. Mackworth promised to consult her
husband, and, if he gave his consent, to
allow her daughters and son to go to this
famous ball.

So when the curate came home in the
evening, he found all his household in a
state of feminine bustle; a snowy shower of
muslin heaped on the sofa: and a bewildering
mass of ribbons and tapes lying on the
table. As he stood amazed at the door,
Cilla danced up to him, all excitement,
with the wonderful news that they were
going to the Nettlehurst ball; Mary hastily
adding that it depended on whether he liked
them to do so.

"My dears, do you really wish to go?
Won't you feel very much at a loss?
You can't dance, any of you."

"Can't we, indeed?" cried Mary, "haven't
I sat by and seen Carrie and Archie figuring
away under Mr. Caracol, every Friday of
my life for the last two years? I will
undertake to coach Harry and Cilla—if we
may, papa."

"But your clothes? Where is the money
for them to come from?"

"I believe Mary is a conjurer," said her
mother; "she produced all this finery at a
moment's notice."

And then Mary began explaining how
she had bought the white muslin some
months before, when she found it necessary
to have a best evening dress tor Carrie's
birthday, and how, just as she had done so,
Mrs. Halroyd had made her a present of
another white muslin, ready made up, silk
under skirt, and all.

"So the new muslin will just come in for
Cilla, and she can haye the silk petticoat,"
said Mary, eagerly; "and all this green
ribbon, her own favourite green, will run
under the muslin—all about—so. How
lucky I brought it for her!"