could have left her endearing and bright face
behind. They drew the Clock Room. Alfred
Starling, an uncommonly agreeable young fellow
of eight-and-twenty for whom I have the greatest
liking, was in the Double Room : mine, usually,
and designated by that name from having a
dressing-room within it, with two large and
cumbersome windows, which no wedges I was
ever able to make, would keep from shaking, in
any weather, wind or no wind. Alfred is a
young fellow who pretends to be "fast" (another
word for loose, as I understand the term), but
who is much too good and sensible for that
nonsense, and who would have distinguished himself
before now, if his father had not unfortunately
left him a small independence of two hundred a
year, on the strength of which his only occupation
in life has been to spend six. I am in hopes,
however, that his Banker may break, or that he
may enter into some speculation, guaranteed to
pay twenty per cent ; for, I am convinced that
if he could only be ruined, his fortune is made.
Belinda Bates, bosom friend of my sister, and a
most intellectual, amiable, and delightful girl,
got the Picture Room. She has a fine genius
for poetry, combined with real business
earnestness, and "goes in" — to use an expression
of Alfred's — for Woman's mission, Woman's
rights, Woman's wrongs, and everything that is
Woman's with a capital W, or is not and ought
to be, or is and ought not to be. "Most praise-
worthy, my dear, and Heaven prosper you !" I
whispered to her on the first night of my taking
leave of her at the Picture Room door, "but
don't overdo it. And in respect of the great
necessity there is, my darling, for more employments
being within the reach of Woman than our
civilisation has as yet assigned to her, don't fly
at the unfortunate men, even those men who are
at first sight in your way, as if they were the
natural oppressors of your sex ; for, trust me,
Belinda, they do sometimes spend their wages
among wives and daughters, sisters, mothers,
aunts, and grandmothers ; and the play is, really,
not all Wolf and Red Riding-Hood, but has
other parts in it." However, I digress.

Belinda, as I have mentioned, occupied the
Picture Room, We had but three other chambers:
the Corner Room, the Cupboard Room,
and the Garden Room. My old friend, Jack
Governor, "slung his hammock," as he called it,
in the Corner Room. I have always regarded
Jack as the finest-looking sailor that ever sailed.
He is grey now, but as handsome as he was a
quarter of a century ago — nay, handsomer. A
portly, cheery, well-built figure of a broad-
shouldered man, with a frank smile, a brilliant
dark eye, and a rich dark eyebrow. I remember
those under darker hair, and they look all the
better for their silver setting. He has been
wherever his Union namesake flies, has Jack,
and I have met old shipmates of his, away in
the Mediterranean and on the other side of the
Atlantic, who have beamed and brightened at
the casual mention of his name, and have
cried, "You know Jack Governor? Then you
know a prince of men!" That he is! And so
unmistakably a naval officer, that if you were to
meet him coming out of an Esquimaux snow-hut
in seal's skin, you would be vaguely persuaded
he was in full naval uniform.

Jack once had that bright clear eye of his on
my sister; but, it fell out that he married
another lady and took her to South America,
where she died. This was a dozen years ago or
more. He brought down with him to our haunted
house a little cask of salt beef; for, he is always
convinced that all salt beef not of his own pickling,
is mere carrion, and invariably, when he goes to
London, packs a piece in his portmanteau. He
had also volunteered to bring with him one
"Nat Beaver," an old comrade of his, captain
of a merchantman. Mr. Beaver, with a thick-set
wooden face and figure, and apparently as hard
as a block all over, proved to be an intelligent
man, with a world of watery experiences in him,
and great practical knowledge. At times, there
was a curious nervousness about him, apparently
the lingering result of some old illness; but, it
seldom lasted many minutes. He got the
Cupboard Room, and lay there next to Mr. Undery,
my friend and solicitor: who came down, in an
amateur capacity, "to go through with it," as
he said, and who plays whist better than the
whole Law List, from the red cover at the
beginning to the red cover at the end.

I never was happier in my life, and I believe
it was the universal feeling among us. Jack
Governor, always a man of wonderful resources,
was Chief Cook, and made some of the best
dishes I ever ate, including unapproachable
curries. My sister was pastrycook and
confectioner. Starling and I were Cook's Mate,
turn and turn about, and on special occasions
the chief cook "pressed" Mr. Beaver. We had
a great deal of out-door sport and exercise, but
nothing was neglected within, and there was no ill
humour or misunderstanding among us, and our
evenings were so delightful that we had at least
one good reason for being reluctant to go to bed.

We had a few night alarms in the beginning.
On the first night, I was knocked up by Jack
with a most wonderful ship's lantern in his
hand, like the gills of some monster of the deep,
who informed me that he was "going aloft to
the main truck," to have the weathercock down.
It was a stormy night and I remonstrated; but
Jack called my attention to its making a sound
like a cry of despair, and said somebody would
be "hailing a ghost" presently, if it wasn't done.
So, up to the top of the house, where I could
hardly stand for the wind, we went, accompanied
by Mr. Beaver; and there Jack, lantern and all
with Mr. Beaver after him, swarmed up to
the top of a cupola, some two dozen feet above
the chimneys, and stood upon nothing
particular, coolly knocking the weathercock off,
until they both got into such good spirits with
the wind and the height, that I thought they
would never come down. Another night, they
turned out again, and had a chimney-cowl off.
Another night, they cut a sobbing and gulping
water-pipe away. Another night, they found out
something else. On several occasions, they both,