"Queerish not a little, I think; and blow me if I don't get to the bottom of it, or a devil's in it. That girl knows something of Mr Eugene, I'll be sworn. We must get out of her what it is." "Oh, no doubt she does. It wasn't the song that threw her off, although it was certainly vile enough for anything; it was himself; that is as clear as day. Let us off, hunt out the wench, and get the secret from her." They left the room by the open window, and passing round the house to the servants' entrance, walked into the kitchen, where they found Sally labouring under strong excitement, as she narrated the incident which had led to her precipitate retreat from the drawing-room. "To think of seeing him here; the base deceitful wretch! Cocked up in the drawing-room, forsooth, as if that were a place for him or the likes of him. Set him up, indeed--a pretty story. But I know'd as how he'd never come to no good!" "Who is he, my dear?" inquired Stukeley. "Who is he, sir!--who should he be but Tom Newlands, the son of Dame Newlands of our village." "Oh, you must certainly be mistaken." "Never a bit mistaken am I, sir. I have too good reason for remembering him, the wretch! Oh, if I had him here, I wouldn't give it him, I wouldn't? I'd sarve him out, the deludin' scoundrel. But he never was good for nothing since he went into the haberdashery line." "A haberdasher, is he? Capital!--capital! The man of fashion, eh, Frank?" "The young man of _distingue_ appearance!" "And who's his friend, Sally?" "What! the other chap? Oh, I don't know anything about him, except that he's one of them man millinery fellows; and a precious bad lot they are, I know." "Glorious!--glorious!" cried Stukeley, crying with delight, as he walked out of the place with his friend. "Here's a discovery for some folks, isn't it? The brilliant alliance, the high family, _et cetera, et cetera_, all dwindled into a measurer of tapes. Aren't you proud of having had such a rival?" "Oh, come, don't be too hard upon me on that point. Mum, here we are at the drawing-room again. Not a word of what we have heard. If these scamps have made themselves scarce, as I think they have, good and well. But if they venture to show face here again, I shall certainly feel it to be my duty to pull their noses, and eject them from the premises by a summary process." "Oh, never fear, they will not put you to the trouble. They are off for good and all, or I am no prophet."