"These handsome men; these handsome men!" sighed Thibs, as she sat by Julia's bed that night, tired with her journey, but reluctant to go to her own resting-place--a mattress upon the floor. "Oh! how I wish sometimes we were back at the old house, and me scolding and stubborn with poor old missus, and in my tantrums from morning to night. Ah! those were happy days." Thisbe shook her head, and rocked herself to and fro, and sighed and sighed again. "My old kitchen, and my old back door, and the big dust-hole! What a house it was, and how happy we used to be! Ah! if we could only change right back and be there once more, and Miss Milly not married to no handsome scamp. Ah! and he is; Miss Milly may say what she likes, and try to believe he isn't. He is a scamp, and I wish she had never seen his handsome face, and we were all back again, and then--Oh!--Oh! Oh!-- Oh!--Oh!" cried hard, stubborn Thisbe as she sank upon her knees by the child's bedside, sobbing gently and with the tears running down her cheeks, "and then there wouldn't be no you. Bless you! bless you! bless you!" She kissed the child as a butterfly might settle on a flower, so tender was her love, so great her fear of disturbing the little one's rest. "Oh! dear me, dear me!" she said, rising and wiping the tears from her hard face and eyes, "well, there's whites and blacks, and ups and downs, and pleasures and pains, and I don't know what to say--except my prayers; and the Lord knows what's best for us after all." Ten minutes after, poor Thisbe was sleeping peacefully, while, with burning brow, Millicent was pacing her bed-room, thinking of the morrow's interview with Sir Gordon Bourne. VOLUME TWO, CHAPTER SEVENTEEN. MR GEMP IS CURIOUS. "I know'd--I know'd it all along," said Old Gemp to his friends, for the excitement of his loss seemed now to have acted in an opposite direction and to be giving him strength. "I know'd he couldn't be living at that rate unless things was going wrong. What did the magistrates say?" "Said it was a black case, and committed him for trial," replied Gorringe the tailor. "Ah, I don't say that clothes is everything, Mr Gemp; but a well-made suit makes a gentleman of a man, and you never heard of Mr Thickens doing aught amiss." "Nor me neither, eh, Gorringe? and you've made my clothes ever since you've been in business." The tailor looked with disgust at his neighbour's shabby, well-worn garments, and remained silent. "I'd have been in the court mysen, Gorringe, on'y old Luttrell said he wouldn't be answerable for my life if I got excited again, and I don't want to die yet, neighbour; there's a deal for me to see to in this world." "Got your money, haven't you?" "Ye-es, I've got my money, and it's put away safe; but I wanted my deeds--my writings. I've lost by that scoundrel, horribly."