"Ah! a sailor person, and rough, I suppose--sailors always are," said Sir Hampton.

"Yes," cried Finetta, "they haul in slack, and cry 'Avast!' at you, and 'shiver my timbers!' But, I say--I like sailors; I shall set my cap at him."

"Finetta!" gasped Miss Matilda.

"Don't talk nonsense, child," said Lady Rea. "Don't you hear what papa says about sailors being so rough? I daresay he isn't a bit of a gentleman."

"But he's an officer, ma, dear," said Finetta; "and if Tiny hasn't made up her mind to have him, I shall. They are doing all sorts of things up at the house; and it's to be full of company, Mrs Lloyd says; and she looked as proud as a peac.o.c.k, as she stood smoothing her white ap.r.o.n.

We're sure to be invited; and won't it be a good job! for this place is so jolly dull."

"Ah, my child," said Aunt Matilda, "if you would only properly employ your time, you would not find it dull."

"What! knit mittens, bother the poor people, and read Saint Thomas a Kempis, aunty?" replied Finetta. "No, thank you. But Mr Trevor's coming--I say, ought we to call him lieutenant?--it's so absurd--ought to brighten up the place a bit; and of course, ma, you'll ask him here?"

"Er-rum!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Sir Hampton, rousing himself from his day-dreams.

"It is my wish that there should always be shown in my establishment the hospitality of--er--er--a country gentleman."

"And a knight," said Miss Matilda, softly.

"Thank you, Matilda--and a knight," said Sir Hampton. "But, my dears, I have great pleasure in announcing to you that I have made up my mind that we shall now pay a short visit to the great metropolis."

"How jolly!" said Finetta. "But what are we going for, pa, dear?"

"My dear, I have several things to see about," said Sir Hampton. "To engage a groom for one thing, to buy horses for another, and a gun or two for my friends. I intend to have, too, the west room fitted up for billiards."

"For what, Hampton?" said his sister.

"Er-rum!--billiards," said Sir Hampton.

"It is not often that I venture upon a word, Hampton, respecting your household management; but when I hear of propositions which must interfere with your fixture welfare, I feel bound to speak."

"And, pray, what do you mean?" said Sir Hampton, angrily.

"I mean that I gave way when you insisted on having cards in the house, because you said your visitors liked whist--"

"And you were always rattling the dice box and playing backgammon,"

retorted Sir Hampton.

"That is different," said Miss Matilda; "backgammon is a very old and a very innocent game."

"Oh!" said Sir Hampton.

"I have known great divines play at backgammon."

"And I've known a bishop play a good rubber at whist," said Sir Hampton.

"I am sorry for it," said Miss Matilda; "but I draw the line at billiards. It is a detestable game, played on a green cloth which is the flag of gambling, and--"

"If you will take my advice, Matty, you will hold your tongue," said Sir Hampton. "My guests will like a game at billiards, and I'll be bound to say, before we've had the table in the house a month, you'll be playing a game yourself."

"Hampton!"

"Same as you do at whist."

"I oblige your guests, and make up your horrid rubbers."

"But I say, aunty, you do like winning, you know," chimed in Fin.

"Oh, my dear, I--"

"You pocketed fifteen shillings--I won't say 'bob,' because it's slangy," said Fin, laughing mischievously.

"I protest, I--"

"Er-rum!--I will not hear another word. We start for town to-morrow; and, my dears, you asked me once for horses--you shall have them. Fin, my child, don't strangle me! There, now, see how you've rumpled my cravat!"

"Oh, thank you, daddy!"

"Now, if you say _daddy_ again, I'll alter my mind," said the old gentleman, angrily.

"There, then, I won't," said Fin. "But I say, pa, we must have a groom."

"Of course, my dear."

"And riding-habits."

"To be sure."

"And we can get them in town. Oh, Tiny, do say 'Hooray' for once in your life."

"Er-rum! It's my intention," said Sir Hampton, "to patronise the sports of our country, and foster hunting, game-keeping, and the like. By the way, that man Lloyd might do some commissions for me. Matty, you will keep house till we return. My dears, we start to-morrow morning."

"Then all I've got to say," said Miss Matilda, sharply, "is this--"

"Yelp! yelp! yelp!"--a succession of wild shrieks from beneath the antimaca.s.sar, out of one side of which lay a thin black tail, in very close proximity to Fin's pretty little foot, and in an instant Aunt Matty was down upon her knees, talking to and caressing the dog.

"Er-rum!" went Sir Hampton, slowly crossing the hall to his library, followed by Lady Rea; and directly after Miss Matilda hurried away, with her pet in her arms.

"Now, Fin, that was cruel. I saw you tread on Pip's tail," said Tiny.

"Doing evil that good might come," said Fin, defiantly. "Look here, Tiny--pets were anciently offered up to save a row. If I hadn't made him squeal, there would have been pa storming, Aunt Matty going into hysterics, and ma worried to death; so that it was like the old nursery rhyme--"

"I trod sharp on the little dog's tail; The dog began to shriek and wail, And poor Aunty Matty turned mighty pale: It stopped papa from blowing a gale; And that's the end of my little tale."

"Er-rum!" was heard from across the hall.

"There's daddy going to lecture me; and look here, Tiny, Edward will come in directly to clear the cloth. Now, then, here's a penny; let's toss. Heads or tails, who wins."