"Maiden"--

(Here he looked very hard at Miss Lavinia Limpenny.)

"Maiden, what dost thou in the chill churchyard
Beside yon grassy mound?
The night hath fallen, the rain is raining hard,
Damp is the ground."

Mrs. Buzza shivered, and began to weep quietly.

"Maiden, why claspest thou that cold, cold stone
Against thy straining breast?
Tell me, what dost thou at this hour alone?
(_Persuasively_) The lambs have gone to rest.
The maiden lifted up her tearful gaze,
And thus she made reply:
'My mother, sir, is--'"

But the secret of her conduct remains with Mr. Moggridge, for at this
moment the door opened, and the excited head of Sam Buzza, the
Admiral's only son, was thrust into the room.


[Illustration: "Maiden, what dost thou in the chill churchyard--"]


"I say, have you heard the news? 'The Bower' is let."