"Will you all promise not to say a word about it?" said Mrs. Tongue. "Yes--yes!--not a word--not a syllable!--we will not breathe it!" was instantly and unanimously promised by the female portion of Mrs. Tongue's audience. "You know the Widow Wild's cook?" said Mrs. Tongue. "Yes," said Mrs. Foot. "The black woman whom Simon Rump kissed!" screamed Mrs. Smart. "The miserable dog!" cried Mrs. Cross. "The cook," said Mrs. Tongue, "was at my house about half an hour ago, and told me----" "What? What? What? What?" exclaimed four female voices simultaneously. "That Mr. Pate rode up to the Widow Wild's house, on yesterday morning, and, dismounting, pulled the bell at the front door. The widow opened the door herself, and received Mr. Pate with much cordiality. Having invited him in, she introduced him to her daughter and niece; and he and the three ladies soon got to be so sociable that they sat down to a game of whist. Time passed pleasantly and rapidly until dinner was announced. After dinner the widow proposed a game of blind-man's-buff; and the three ladies and Pate began the game with much merriment. It came to the lawyer's turn to be blinded; and, as soon as the handkerchief was over his eyes, the widow rang a bell and her two big negro men, Juba and Jugurtha, rushed into the room and caught Pate, and Juba held him while Jugurtha smeared tar over his head and face. The widow then took a basket of black wool, and stuck the wool all over his head, and put some big bunches on his checks, so as to look like very large whiskers. The lawyer cried like a child and begged for mercy; but the widow laughed immoderately while she was decorating him with the wool. When released, the lawyer fled to the door, and there stood his horse in much the same condition as himself. He mounted and rode wildly away; the widow calling after him, 'Mr. Pate! Mr. Pate! be sure to come back and get your money to-morrow!'" "Did you ever hear the like?" said Mrs. Foot. "Never!" exclaimed Mrs. Cross. "No; never!" cried Mrs. Hobbs. "And so Mr. Pate was the man on the Woolly Horse!" screamed Mrs. Smart. "Hush!" exclaimed Cleopatra, who was sitting at a window. "Here is Mr. Love." "Hush!" said Theodosia, "Here is Mr. Dove." "Hush!" said Sophonisba. "Here is Mr. Bliss." "They are Mr. Pate's particular friends," said Mrs. Foot. "It will not do to say anything about him before them,--it might hurt their feelings. Let us talk about something else." The three little men now entered the room, and Toney and the Professor arose, and, bowing to the ladies, withdrew. They walked together until they reached Toney's office, when the Professor said, "Well, Toney, I can now face the five respectable maiden ladies without trepidation. Eureka! eureka! Good-by, old fellow." "Good-by," said Toney, laughing. And he entered his office, while the Professor proceeded with rapid strides towards his boarding-house. CHAPTER XXXII.