JESSIE’S ACQUAINTANCE MADRE. 65

sneer; “if I were but free! that is always the
way! If I were but free, indeed! Why, when
you are free, your mind will have changed. Then,
then! ah, I know you men! You are a pack of
designing, selfish knaves, and I’ll have none of you!
I'll take care of Jessie Bannerman, if she cannot
take care of herself; and so you had better take
your leave, for the decent people at your house
must have been in bed these two or three hours.”

“ By Jove, and so they will!” exclaimed Wil-
liams, looking at his watch, and horrified to see that
it was past two o'clock.

“YT shall never get in to-night,” said he, almost
dolefully. “ For Heaven’s sake let me sleep where
Iam. I will lie on the sofa, or anywhere, and
early in the morning 1 will be gone.” |

The old woman was again deaf; and it was only
by his forcibly taking possession of the sofa, that she
seemed to understand him. Jessie laughed as merrily
and as musically, Williams thought, as Fanny could
have done, and applauded the idea. But the old
woman was inexorable, and turned him literally out
of doors. :

Well was it for him that, in that quiet town,
every soul, excepting the watchman, was in bed.
The night was fine and starlight, and avoiding the
watchman, who made himself perceptible by his
cry, he walked through the town right into the
country, which was not inconvenient to him, as he
had excused his yesterday's absence on the plea of
spending the afternoon with some friends in the
country ; and the next morning he entered Mr. Os-
borne’s parlour just as they were about to sit down to
breakfast, nobody suspecting one word of the real truth.

G2