Mrs. Baggs smote both her hands
distractedly on her knees, and whispered a
devout ejaculation to herself softly.

"Allow me to deal with you, ma'am, as a
woman of the world," I went on.  "If you
will give me half-an-hour's hearing, I will
explain to you how I come to know what I
do; how I got here; and what I have to
propose to Miss Laura and to you."

"If you have the feelings of a man, sir,"
said Mrs. Baggs, shaking her head, and
raising her eyes to heaven, ''you will
remember that I have nerves, and will not
presume upon them."

As the old lady uttered the last words,
I thought I saw her eyes turn from heaven,
and take the earthly direction of the sofa in
the front parlour. It struck me also that
her lips looked rather dry. Upon these
two hints I spoke.

"Might I suggest some little stimulant?"
I asked, with respectful earnestness. "I
have heard my grandmother (Lady Malkinshaw)
say that, 'a drop in time saves nine.'"

"You will find it under the sofa pillow,"
said Mrs. Baggs, with sudden briskness. "'A
drop in time saves nine.'—my sentiments, if
I may put myself on a par with her ladyship.
The liqueur glass, Mr. Softly, is in
the backgammon board. I hope her ladyship
was well the last time you heard from
her? Suffers from her nerves, does she?
Like me, again. In the backgammon-board.
O, this news, this awful news!"

I found a bottle of brandy in the place
indicated, but no liqueur glass in the
backgammon-board. There was, however, a wine-
glass, accidentally left on a chair by the sofa.
Mrs. Baggs did not seem to notice the
difference when I brought it into the back
room, and filled it with brandy.

"Take a toothful, yourself," said Mrs.
Baggs, lightly tossing off the dram in a
moment. "'A drop in time,'—I can't help
repeating it, it's so nicely expressed. Still,
with submission to her ladyship's better
judgment, Mr. Softly, the question seems
now to arise, whether, if one drop in time
saves nine, two drops in time may not save
eighteen." Here Mrs. Baggs forgot her
nerves, and winked.

I returned the wink and filled the glass a
second time. "O, this news, this awful
news!" said Mrs. Baggs remembering her
nerves again.

Just then I thought I heard footsteps in
front of the house; but, listening more
attentively, found that it had begun to rain, and
that I had been deceived by the pattering of
the first heavy drops against the windows.
However, the bare suspicion that the same
stranger who had called already might be
watching the house now, was enough to
startle me very seriously, and to suggest the
absolute necessity of occupying no more
precious time in paying attention to the vagaries
of Mrs. Baggs' nerves. It was also of some
importance that I should speak to her while
she was sober enough to understand what I
meant in a general way. Feeling convinced
that she was in imminent danger of becoming
downright drunk if I gave her another glass,
I kept my hand on the bottle, and forthwith
told my story over again, in a very abridged
and unceremonious form, and without
allowing her one moment of leisure for
comment on my narrative, whether it
might be of the weeping, winking, drinking,
groaning, or ejaculating kind. As I had
anticipated, when I came to a conclusion,
and consequently allowed her an opportunity
of saying a few words, she affected to be
extremely shocked and surprised at hearing of
the nature of her master's pursuits, and
reproached me in terms of the most vehement
and virtuous indignation for incurring the
guilt of abetting them, even though I had
done so from the very excusable motive of
saving my own life. Having a lively sense
of the humorous, I was necessarily rather
amused by this; but I began to get a little
surprised as well, when we diverged to the
subject of the Doctor's escape, on finding
that Mrs. Baggs viewed the fact of his
running away to some hiding-place of his own, in
the light of a personal insult to his faithful
and attached housekeeper.

"It shows a want of confidence in me,"
said the old lady, "which I may forgive, but
can never forget. The sacrifices I have made
for that ungrateful man, are not to be told in
words. The very morning he sent us away
here, what did I do? Packed up the
moment he said, Go. I had my preserves to
pot, and the kitchen chimney to be swept,
and the lock of my box hampered into the
bargain. Other women in my place would
have grumbled—I got up directly, as lively
as any girl of eighteen you like to mention.
Says he, 'I want Laura taken out of young
Softly's way, and you must do it.'—Says I,
'This very morning, sir?'—Says he, 'This
very morning.'—Says I, 'Where to?'—Says
he, 'As far off as ever you can go; coast of
Wales—Crickgelly. I won't trust her nearer;
young Softly's too cunning, and she's too
fond of him.'—'Any more orders, sir?' says
I.—'Yes; take some fancy name—Simpkins,
Johnson, Giles, Jones, James,' says he, 'what
you like but Knapton; for that scamp Softly
will move heaven and earth to trace her.'—
'What else?' says I.—'Nothing, but look
sharp,' says he. 'And mind one thing, that
she sees no visitors, and posts no letters.'
Before those last words had been out of his
wicked lips an hour, we were off. A nice
job I had to get her away—a nice job to stop
her from writing letters to you—a nice job
to keep her here. But I did it; I followed
my orders like a slave in a plantation with
a whip at his bare back. I've had rheumatics,
weak legs, bad nights, and Miss in the sulks
—all from obeying the doctor's orders. And
what is my reward? He turns coiner, and