ago--I'm sure its not far short of it--I took to notice that the light
in Mr. Hamish's chamber wasn't put out so soon as it was in the other
rooms. So, one night, when I was half-crazy with that face-ache--you
remember my having it, Miss Constance?--and knew I shouldn't get to
sleep, if I lay down, I thought I'd just see how long he kept it in.
Would you believe, Miss Constance, that at three o'clock in the morning
his light was still burning?"

"Well," said Constance, feeling the tale was not half told.

"I thought, what on earth could he be after? I might have feared that
he had got into bed and left it alight by mistake, but that I saw his
shadow once or twice pass the blind. Well, I didn't say a word to him
next day, I thought he might not like it: but my mind wouldn't be easy,
and I looked out again, and I found that, night after night, that light
was in. Miss Constance, I thought I'd trick him: so I took care to put
just about an inch of candle in his bed candlestick, and no more: but,
law bless me! when folks is bent on forbidden things, it is not
candle-ends that will stop 'em!"

"I suppose you mean that the light burnt still, in spite of your inch
of candle?" said Constance.

"It just did," returned Judith. "He gets into my kitchen and robs my
candle-box, I thought to myself. So I counted my candles and marked
'em; and I found I was wrong, for they wasn't touched. But one day,
when I was putting his cupboard to rights, I came upon a paper right at
the back. Two great big composite candles it had in it, and another
half burnt away. Oh, this is where you keep your store, my young
master, is it? I thought. They were them big round things, which seems