Stubbs audibly wished them both at Hong-Kong, and Elijah along with them. Hamer came soothingly to the rescue. He happened to have some old chairs that were exactly the thing. In fact, he rather believed that they had been church-wood, to begin with. He would be delighted to lend them, and also to send them, if they would be of service. He even borrowed notepaper from the disgusted Stubbs, and sat down to write to the Vicar at Helwise’s dictation. Lanty, in the window, stroking White-Paws on Dandy’s lap, growled a remonstrance, which she checked. “Oh, please let him!” she begged under her breath; and, remembering that Wiggie would occupy one of the chairs, he said no more. Stubbs rattled off a string of all the most swear-sounding rotifera he could think of. To the tune of a spanking trot Harriet dashed into the yard, and strode in, a fine colour in her sallow cheeks, and every fighting bristle raised for war. Hospitality dragged from her a brief recognition of the later arrivals as they rose to greet her, but she paid it no further dues. Stubbs brightened. Evidently there had been a row. “Worm!” said Harriet, slapping down her hard gauntlets under Helwise’s nose. “Caterpillar! Bloodless, backboneless caterpillar! To dare to talk to _me_ about milk--ME! Knewstubb of Wild Duck! Centipede--white-livered, backstair crawler--Earwig! CROCODILE!” The Shaws paled--this was a new and dreadful Harriet--but Stubbs merely hallooed: “Sick ’em, lass! Good dog--hie on to him!” snapping his fingers with keen enjoyment, and even Helwise seemed unconcerned. As for Lanty, he laughed with evident understanding. “Thorne, I suppose, is it? I’ve seen him slinking into the Workhouse once or twice lately as I passed. Afraid he thinks no great shakes of me as his fellow-Guardian. It isn’t often I get time to look in. I fancy he gives them a pretty thin time there, poking about and finding fault.”