"Never mind the front door, but tell us why you left this Mrs.
Wilson?"

"Shure, and it was she as left me, being as she went sailing to the
ould country the same day when on her recommendation I came to this
very front door--"

"Well, well; no matter about that. You have been in Mr.
Leavenworth's family a year?"

"Yes, sir."

"And liked it? found him a good master?"

"Och, sir, niver have I found a better, worse luck to the villain
as killed him. He was that free and ginerous, sir, that many 's the
time I have said to Hannah--" She stopped, with a sudden comical gasp
of terror, looking at her fellow-servants like one who had incautiously
made a slip. The coroner, observing this, inquired hastily:

"Hannah? Who is Hannah?"

The cook, drawing her roly-poly figure up into some sort of shape in
her efforts to appear unconcerned, exclaimed boldly: "She? Oh, only
the ladies' maid, sir."

"But I don't see any one here answering to that description. You
didn't speak of any one by the name of Hannah, as belonging to the
house," said he, turning to Thomas.