_Nightflit._ (_With paper._) A dreadful affair this in St Pancras’ parish! A poor, dear, innocent servant-girl shamefully treated by a vestryman. _Mrs Nutts._ Just like ’em; go on. Shamefully treated! Oh, I wish they’d just let me take half an hour to myself to make a few laws for the men! I mean, that is, for ourselves. Laws never will be what they ought to be till women help to make ’em. _Nutts._ Nonsense! keep to pie-crusts. A pretty light hand you’d have for a statute. What did the vestryman do to the gal? _Nightflit._ Why, one vestryman, Mr Douglas, charges another vestryman, Mr Pike, with taking a servant-maid and chucking her---- _Mrs Nutts._ Into the canal, of course. Just like the men. _Nightflit._ Not into the canal, ma’am; certainly not. He chucked her under the chin! _Nutts._ There, Mrs Nutts! Ain’t you sorry you spoke? Chucked her under the chin! What do you say now? _Mrs Nutts._ Say? Why, what I said afore--that it’s just like the men. But read all about it. And I’ve no doubt a married man, too! _Nightflit._ It all came out at a meeting o’ Pancras’ vestry. Mr Douglas says that Mr Pike, being upon canvas and asking for a vote, “chucked” the gal under the chin--as I s’pose for her master’s interest. _Nutts._ Well, where’s the great harm o’ that? _Mrs Nutts._ Mr Nutts! if you go on with such sentiments, I tell you this, I’ll go up-stairs! I won’t stop and listen to you. _Nightflit._ Well, Mr Pike, the culprit as was thought, was called in---- _Nosebag._ To slow music, o’ course? _Nightflit._ Called into the vestry, and put upon his defence. Poor gentleman! When he said--here it is in the paper (_reads_): “It is untrue, upon my honour: in the presence of my God, it is untrue. I know myself better than to be guilty of _so humiliating an act_. I have more respect for myself than to chuck _any servant-girl_ under the chin, _and least of all_ the servant of a vestryman of St Pancras’.” This declaration seemed to satisfy the chairman and his fellow-vestrymen. Very awful business, isn’t it, Mrs Nutts? Poor Mr Pike, innocent as a lamb! _Mrs Nutts._ Oh yes; to be sure; of course; never know’d a man who wasn’t innocent! Don’t see, though, why a servant-gal should be looked down upon in that way: been in service myself. _Any_ servant-gal, indeed! _Tickle._ Wouldn’t chuck nothin’, maybe, under a lady’s-maid.