I--I--" "What else is there to be afraid of ?" "Nothing, ma'am, nothing.

But I wish--" "I am going, Matilda; we will not discuss it," said Mrs.De Peyster, in a peremptory tone intended to silence Matilda.

"You may first clear away the dishes," she ordered.

"But I believe I left a squab and some asparagus.

You might put them, and any other little thing you have, on the dining-room table; I shall probably be hungry on my return from my drive.