"John Humphreys." "John Humphreys! You had better not meddle with him, my dear fellow. It would be no particular proof of wisdom." "Why, he's no such great affair," said Gilbert; "he is tall enough, to be sure, but I don't believe he is heavier than I am." "You don't know, in the first place, how to judge of the size of a perfectly well-made man; and in the second place, _I_ was not a match for him a year ago; so you may judge. I do not know precisely," he went on to the lady he was walking with, "what it takes to rouse John Humphreys, but when he _is_ roused, he seems to me to have strength enough for twice his bone and muscle. I have seen him do curious things once or twice!" "That quiet Mr. Humphreys?" "Humph!" said Mr. Howard; "gunpowder is pretty quiet stuff so long as it keeps cool." The next day another matter happened to disturb Ellen. Margaret had received an elegant pair of ear-rings as a Christmas present, and was showing them for the admiration of her young friends. Ellen's did not satisfy her. "Ain't they splendid?" said she. "Tell the truth now, Ellen Montgomery, wouldn't you give a great deal if somebody would send you such a pair?" "They are very pretty," said Ellen, "but I don't think I care much for such things; I would rather have the money." "Oh, you avaricious! Mr. Marshman!" cried Margaret, as the old gentleman was just then passing through the room, "here's Ellen Montgomery says she'd rather have money than anything else for _her_ present." He did not seem to hear her, and went out without making any reply. "O Margaret!" said Ellen, shocked and distressed, "how could you! how could you! What will Mr. Marshman think?" Margaret answered she didn't care what he thought. Ellen could only hope he had not heard. But a day or two after, when neither Ellen nor her friends were present, Mr. Marshman asked who it was that had told him Ellen Montgomery would like money better than anything else for her New Year's present. "It was I, sir," said Margaret. "It sounds very unlike her to say so," remarked Mrs. Chauncey. "Did she say so?" inquired Mr. Marshman. "I understood her so," said Margaret; "I understood her to say she wouldn't care for anything else." "I am disappointed in her," said the old gentleman; "I wouldn't have believed it." "I do not believe it," said Mrs. Chauncey quietly; "there has been some mistake."