The imp drew up his chunky figure with severe dignity, and rolled his saucer eyes and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. At the same moment Muriel’s courtly face and figure appeared at the door, with Harrington’s countenance smiling over her shoulder. The poor room was suddenly adorned by these fair, strong presences, and its frowsy air was sweetened and softened with delicate fragrance. Roux’s children scrambled down at once to run over to their smiling angel, who entered with affable and cordial grace, and stooped to fondle and kiss the little ones, while Roux himself rose, with the baby on his left arm, bowing confusedly, and smiling with considerable pompousness of manner, as of one who thought himself highly honored. “How are you to-day, Mr. Roux,” said Harrington, coming over to the delighted negro, and shaking hands with him. “And how is your wife? And this little one,” he added, putting his large hand on the head of the staring baby. “All right, Mr. Harrington,” returned Roux. “Though the madam’s not as well as she might be, sir,” he continued, in a grandiloquent tone. “She got a sort of a shock, Mr. Harrington, when this news come, and went right off into spasms. Clarindy’s awful scared lest some of these here days old master should send for me, and I’m right skittish myself, sir, in view of that catastrophe.” Another person might have smiled at Roux’s half-anxious, half-pompous tone, but Harrington looked at him with a kind and concerned face, knowing how much real apprehension and distress his words covered. “I am extremely sorry that your wife should have been alarmed,” said the young man. “But it’s true, as Charles said, that this is a false report.” “Yes, Mr. Roux,” added Muriel, coming forward from the children, and giving him her hand, “it’s nothing but an idle rumor, so keep a good heart.” “Thank ye, Miss Eas’man, and I am extrornerly rejoiced at the reception of this unlooked for intelligence,” returned Roux, bowing reverentially, while his manner grew more pompous, and his language more grandiloquent. “And the madam,” he continued, “will hear the glad tidings with great joy, likewise, Miss Eas’man. I heerd the shoutin’ and hoorawin’ in the street, though I wasn’t able to spekilate with any certainty as to its cause, an’ with the chil’ren here, an’ Clarindy a-lyin’ on the bed, feelin’ ruther weak, I found it on the whole, inexpedient to go out and see what was a goin’ on.” He addressed the last sentence of this speech to Harrington. Muriel had gone into the other room, and was leaning over Mrs. Roux, speaking in a low, soothing voice, with her hands on the sick woman’s head. The children were prattling with each other, and Tugmutton was standing apart, with his short arms akimbo, the hands spread on his hips, and an expression of ineffable scorn on his fat, grey face, which was turned toward Roux.