Mrs. Condiment sat crouched in a corner, praying fervently every
time the lightning blazed into the room, longing to go and join the
men and maids in the next apartment, yet fearful to stir from her
seat lest she should attract Old Hurricane's attention, and draw
down upon herself the more terrible thunder and lightning of his
wrath. But to escape Old Hurricane's violence was not in the power
of mortal man or woman. Soon her very stillness exasperated him and
he broke forth upon her with:

"Mrs. Condiment, mum, I don't know how you can bear to sit there so
quietly and listen to this storm, knowing that the poor child is
exposed to it?"

"Major Warfield, would it do any good for me to jump up and trot up
and down the floor and go on as you do, even supposing I had the
strength?" inquired the meek old lady, thoroughly provoked at his
injustice!

"I'd like to see you show a little more feeling! You are a perfect
barbarian! Oh, Cap! my darling, where are you now? Heavens! what a
blast was that! Enough to shake the house about our ears! I wish it
would! blamed if I don't!"

"Oh, Major! Major! don't say such awful things, nor make such awful
wishes!" said the appalled old lady--"you don't know what you might
bring down upon us!"

"No, nor care! If the old house should tumble in, it would bury
under its ruins a precious lot of good-for-nothing people, unfit to
live! Heavens! what a flash of lightning! Oh, Cap, Cap, my darling,