"Thank you for nothing, most sage conjuror," replied the gay Major; "age has not thinned my flowing hair; but I'm not such a greenhorn neither as to walk blindfold. In the first place, the lady is sister-in-law to old Peters, one of the wealthiest of turtle-eaters, and it was from one of his daughters that I learned the real state of her affairs,--an authority that may be the better depended on, because, though they receive her as a sister, and all that, it is quite evident that they are by no means very fond of her.... In fact, they are rather a stiff-backed generation, whereas my widow is as gay as a lark." "Is she a Bristol woman?" inquired one of the party. "No, she is from Devonshire," was the reply. "The name of her place is '_Silverton Park_.'" "Silverton in Devonshire?" said the young stranger. "May I ask the lady's name, sir?" "Her name is Barnaby," replied Major Allen briskly; "do you happen to know anything about her?" "The widow Barnaby of Silverton?... Oh! to be sure I do, and a fine woman she is too,--no doubt of it. She is the widow of our apothecary." "The widow of an apothecary?... No such thing, sir; you mistake altogether," replied the Major. "Do you happen to know such a place as Silverton Park?" "I never heard of such a park, sir; but I know Silverton well enough," said the young man, "and I know her house, or what was her house, as well as I know my own father's, which is at no great distance from it neither. And I know the shop and the bow-window belonging to it, and a very pretty decent dwelling-house it is." Major Allen grew fidgety; he wanted to hear more, but did not approve the publicity of the conversation, and contrived at the moment to put a stop to it, but contrived also to make an appointment with his new acquaintance to breakfast together on the following morning; and before their allowance of tea and toast was dispatched, Major Allen was not only fully disenchanted respecting Silverton Park, and the four beautiful greys, but quite _au fait_ of the reputation for running up bills which his charmer had enjoyed previous to her marriage with the worthy apothecary.