Hopper was the first to help himself to whiskey, which he did liberally, apparently not being able to judge the quantity on account of the foreshortening effect of the tumbler. "That boy Fred been about here lately?" he said, taking his pipe from his mouth, and poking at the lump of sugar in his glass with a spoon, as if he were offended with it, or looked upon it as Fred's head. "Not for some days," said Dick, puffing out a cloud of smoke, while he glanced at Jessie, whose forehead contracted, and she turned slightly away. "Don't have him here: he's a bad one," said Hopper. "I don't like him. Look at his moustaches." "Ain't here." "Hey? Ain't here? Who said he was? Just look at his moustaches, stretching straight out on both sides, and worked into a point with wax." "Well, they ain't pretty, certainly." "Pretty? Did you say pretty?" Dick nodded. "Look as if they were fixed there as handles to open his mouth with, or to steer him. I don't like that boy. You, Jessie, if you let that chap make love to you--Heyday, what's the matter now?" The matter was that Jessie had darted an indignant look at him and gone upstairs to her bedroom. "Look at that now!" said Hopper. "Well, you shouldn't speak to her like that," said Mrs Shingle indignantly. "Oh, if it's coming to pride, I'm off," said Hopper. "This is getting on in the world." And, laying down his pipe, he prepared to go. "No, no, no--what nonsense!" cried Dick and his wife. And together they forced the old fellow back into his chair, where, becoming somewhat mollified after another glass of whiskey and water, he began to talk. "She oughtn't to have huffed off like that," he said. "But I like Jessie: she's a sensible girl, wears her own hair, and doesn't turn her boot-heels into stilts and walk like a hen going to peck the ground with her beak; though how she expects to get on without being more fashionable I don't know. Ah! it's a strange world, but it's a great nuisance that we shall all have to die some day. Max won't mind it a bit," he chuckled, "he's such a good man." "You leave Max alone," said Dick gruffly. "Hey? what say?" "I say you leave Max alone. He's my brother; and blood is thicker than water after all--ain't it, mother?" "Hush!" said Hopper, suddenly removing his pipe and making signs with the stem. "What's the matter?" "There's some one outside, under the window," he said, in a whisper. "Why, you can't hear," said Dick, in the same low voice. "Can't hear? No; but I can feel some one there." "It's the boy," said Dick. "No; he's gone to bed this hour," said Mrs Shingle nervously. "Let's go and see," whispered Hopper. "Stop a moment," said Dick, frowning; and, getting up, he opened the door that led upstairs, when a low whispering was plainly heard from above. Dick shut the door quickly, and turned to his wife. "Mother," he said huskily, "I wouldn't have believed this if I'd been told. Did you know of it?"