_Pet._ True. _Mrs. H._ Into the park? _Pet._ True. _Mrs. H._ And then you went to the river? _Pet._ True.--Why, rabbit it, I believe you're a witch. _Mrs. H._ Well, and what happened further? _Pet._ Why, you see, his dear little Excellency would see the bridge, that father built out of the old summer house; and the streamers, and the boat, and all that.--I only turned my head round for a moment, to look after a magpie--crush! down went the bridge, with his little Excellency; and oh, how I was scared to see him carried down the river! _Bar._ And you drew him out again directly? _Pet._ No, I didn't. _Mrs. H._ No; your father did? _Pet._ No, he didn't. _Mrs. H._ Why you did not leave him in the water? _Pet._ Yes, we did!--But we bawled as loud as we could; you might have heard us down to the village. _Mrs. H._ Ay--and so the people came immediately to his assistance. _Pet._ No, they didn't: but the Stranger came, that lives yonder, close to old Toby, and never speaks a syllable. Odsbodlikins! what a devil of a fellow it is! With a single spring bounces he slap into the torrent; sails and dives about and about like a duck; gets me hold of the little angel's hair, and, Heaven bless him! pulls him safe and sound to dry land again.--Ha! ha! ha! _Bar._ Is the Stranger with them? _Pet._ Oh lud! no. He ran away. His Excellency wanted to thank him, and all that; but he was off; vanquished like a ghost. _Enter SOLOMON._ _Sol._ Oh! thou careless varlet! I disown you! What an accident might have happened! and how you have terrified his Excellency! But I beg pardon, [_Bows._] His Right Honourable Excellency, the Count, requests your-- _Bar._ We come. [_Exit, with MRS. HALLER._ _Char._ Ha! ha! ha! Why, Mr. Solomon, you seem to have a hopeful pupil. _Sol._ Ah! sirrah! _Char._ But, Mr. Solomon, why were you not nimble enough to have saved his young lordship? _Sol._ Not in time, my sweet Miss. Besides, mercy on us! I should have sunk like a lump of lead: and I happened to have a letter of consequence in my pocket, which would have been made totally illegible; a letter from Constantinople, written by Chevalier--What's his name? [_Draws a letter from his pocket, and putting it up again directly, drops it. PETER takes it up, slily and unobserved._] It contains momentous matter, I assure you. The world will be astonished when it comes to light; and not a soul will suppose that old Solomon had a finger in the pye. _Char._ No, that I believe. _Sol._ But I must go and see to the cellar. Miss, your most obedient servant. [_Exit._ _Char._ [_With pride._] Your servant, Mr. Solomon. _Pet._ Here's the letter from Constantinople. I wonder what it can be about. Now for it! [_Opens it._ _Char._ Aye, let us have it.