But Elcy’s misery did not admit of consolation. Her last chance of saving her father from prison had vanished; and now that the hope which had sustained her had gone, her grief knew no bounds—though she strove with all a woman’s pride to hide her sorrow from strangers, and would willingly have left the house for fear of causing a “scene” in such a place, she had no power to move a limb; and do what she would, there was no checking the sobs that rose, despite her every effort, louder and louder, as she thought of the utter friendlessness of them all. In a few minutes the sound of Elcy’s continued sobbings attracted the attention of Major Oldschool, who was waiting in the “parlours” rather impatiently for his tea, and he popped his head out of the door as he half opened it, partly to learn what was the matter in the hall, and partly to see about the cup that cheers, but not, &c. The sight of “the British female in distress” was of course sufficient to excite a lively interest in the bosom of the gallant soldier. “The white flag hoisted in the cheek of beauty,” as the gentleman engaged for “general utility” on the stage metaphorically expresses it, when done up in full regimentals, was always the signal for a truce with Major Oldschool; and though but the moment before he had felt ready to burst out like a bombshell for the want of his Twankay, he no sooner caught sight of the young lady in tears, than he became—as Mr. Braham sings—“mild as the moonbeams”—and almost as sentimental into the bargain. “Ods! grapeshot and canister!” of course the Major should have cried, to have kept up the character of the veteran; but like the generality of soldiers off the stage, he gave vent to no such military exclamation, and was about to advance towards the young lady, when Mrs. Coddle, his female Mentor, and tor-mentor too, detained him by the skirt of his dressing-gown, informing him that his behaviour was “exceeding onpolite,” and begging to know what was the use of bells in a house if he was to go dancing after the servants in that there way—and observing, moreover, that one would imagine he had never been accustomed to genteel society in all his life. As the unceremonious and excited Major struggled to get away from the clutches of his punctilious housekeeper, he d——d her and all her genteel society, and then with a sudden jerk that made the stitches of his duffel skirts crack again, freed himself from the grasp of the mistress of the ceremonies of his front parlour, and hobbled towards the weeping girl.