one above--

"Toby!--Toby!--buccra gentlemen arrive, Toby." But no Toby responded
to the call.

"My dear madam," said Treenail, "I have little time for ceremony. Pray
usher us up into Mr. ------'s presence."

"Den follow me, gentlemen, please."

Forthwith we all ascended the dark staircase until we reached the first
landing-place, when we heard a noise as of two negroes wrangling on the
steps above us.

"You rascal!" sang out one, "take dat; larn you for teal my
wittal!"--then a sharp crack, as if he had smote the culprit across the
pate; whereupon, like a shot, a black fellow, in a handsome livery,
trundled down, pursued by another servant with a large silver ladle in
his hand, with which he was belabouring the fugitive over his
flint-hard skull, right against our hostess, with the drumstick of a
turkey in his hand, or rather in his mouth.

"Top, you tief!--top, you tief!--for me piece dat," shouted the pursuer.

"You dam rascal!" quoth the dame. But she had no time to utter another
word, before the fugitive pitched, with all his weight, against her;
and at the very moment another servant came trundling down with a large
tray full of all kinds of meats--and I especially remember that two
large crystal stands of jellies composed part of his load--so there we
were regularly capsized, and caught all of a heap in the dark