Melissa, airily.

"And what's more," went on the butler, "you'll get the sack anyway if
you don't stop filling the kids up with them yarns of yours. The
nurses were telling Mrs. Bingle that the children didn't go to sleep
for hours last night, they were that scared."

"Seeing ghosts, dragons and goblins all night long," said Hughes, the
second footman, shoving a big chair into position. Chairs from all
parts of the house had been brought to the drawing-room and arranged
in a semi-circle in front of the huge fireplace, at one corner of
which stood Mr. Bingle's reading lamp, accurately placed at the edge
of a costly little Italian table. There were big chairs and little
chairs, soft chairs and hard ones, chairs of velvet and chairs of
silk, chairs of ancient needle-point and chairs that could not be sat
upon.

"I didn't tell any ghost stories yesterday," said Melissa. "I told 'em
about robbers and kidnappers."

"Get the ladder, Watson," said Diggs. "What are you standing there
for? Do you think it's a pedestal you're on?"

"I just wanted to say that three of the kids saw sea-serpents and
crocodiles in their dreams--"

"Don't lay it to me, Watson," broke in Melissa. "I'm not to blame if
they had delirium tremens. I didn't give them anything to drink."

"I--I shall have to speak to Mrs. Bingle about you, Melissa,"