第20章
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  \"Iamringing,\"saidMrs。Merillia,inamuffledmannerthroughthedoor。\"Iamsummoningassistance!Youwillbecapturedifyoudon’tgoaway。\"

  Andagainshepealedherbells。Thistime,asshedidso,thetinglingofathirdbellbecameaudibleinthesilenthouse。

  \"Lord!\"criedGustavus,\"ifthereisn’tthehalldoor。Itmustbemaster。Helefthiskeyto—night。Here’sanicego!\"

  Thethreebellsraisedtheirpiercingchorus。Mrs。Fancysobbed,andGustavus,afteraterriblemomentofhesitation,boundeddownthehall。

  Hisinstincthadnotplayedhimfalse。ThepersonwhohadrungthebellwasindeedtheProphet,whohadbaselyslunkawayfromZoologicalHouse,leavingMadamesurroundedbyhernewandadoringfriends。

  \"Thankyou,Gustavus,\"hesaid,entering。\"Takemycoat,please。What’sthat?\"

  ForMrs。Merillia’sbellsstruckshrillyuponhisastonishedears。

  \"Ithinkit’sMrs。Merillia,sir。Shekeepsonringing。\"

  \"Mrs。Merillia。Atthishour!Heavens!Issheill?\"

  \"Idon’tknow,sir。Shekeepsringing;butwhenIansweritshesays,’Goaway!’shesays。’Go——’shesays,sir。\"

  \"Howverystrange!\"

  AndtheProphetboundedupstairsandarrivedathisgrandmother’sdoorjustintimetohearhercryout,inreplytopoorMrs。Fancy’sdistractedknocking,——

  \"Ifyoutrytobreakinyouwillbeputinprisonatonce。Ihearassistancecoming。Ihearthepolice。Goaway,youwicked,wickedman!\"

  \"Grannie!\"criedtheProphetthroughthekeyhole。\"Grannie,letmein!

  Grannie!Grannie!Don’tring!Grannie!Grannie!\"

  ButMrs。Merilliawasnowcompletelyoutofherself,andheronlyresponsetohergrandson’sappealwastoplacehertremblingfingersuponthetwobells,andtoreply,throughtheiruproar,——

  \"Itisuselessforyoutosaythat。Iknowwhoyouare。Isawyou。I

  shallgoonringingaslongasIcanstand。Ishalldieringing,butI

  shallneverletyouin。Goaway!Goaway!\"

  \"Whatdoesshemean?\"criedtheProphet,turningtoGustavus。

  \"Idon’tknowindeed,sir,\"repliedthefootman,thinkingofMr。

  Carter’slibrary。\"Icouldn’tsayindeed,sir。\"

  \"Oh,mypoormissis!\"wailedMrs。Fancy,tremblinginhernight—socks。

  \"Oh,mypoordearmissis!Ican’tspeakdifferentnormeanother。Oh,missis,missis!\"

  \"Hush,Fancy!\"saidtheProphet,inthegreatestdistraction。\"Grannie!

  Grannie!\"

  Andseizingthehandleofthedoorheshookitviolently。Mrs。Merilliawasnowverynaturallyundertheimpressionthattheratcatcherwasdeterminedtobreakinandmurderherwithoutmoreado。Extremedangeroftenseemstoexerciseastrangelycalminginfluenceuponthehumansoul。Soitwasnow。UponhearingherbedroomdoorquiveringundertheassaultoftheProphet,Mrs。Merilliawasabruptlyinvadedbyasortofdesperatecourage。Sheleftthebells,totteredtothegrateinwhichagoodfirewasblazing,seizedthepokerandthrustitbetweenthebarsandintotheheartoftheflames,atthesametimecryingoutinaquaveringbutdeterminedvoice,——

  \"Iamheatingthepoker!Ifyoucomeinyouwillrepentit。Iamheatingthepoker!\"

  Onhearingthisremark,theProphetdesistedfromhisassaultuponthedoor,overcomebytheabsoluteconvictionthathisbelovedgrandmotherwassufferingfromapronouncedformofhomicidalmania。Hisaffectionpromptedhimtokeepsuchacatastrophesecretaslongaspossible,andhethereforeturnedtoMrs。FancyandGustavus,andsaidhurriedly,——

  \"Thisisamatterformealone。Mrs。Fancy,pleasegoawayatonce。

  Gustavus,youwillaccompanyMrs。Fancy。\"

  Hismannerwassofirm,hisfacesoironinitsdetermination,thatMrs。FancyandGustavusdarednotprofferaword。Theyturnedawayanddisappearedsoftlydownthestairs,towaitthe/denouement/ofthistragedyinthehallbelow。Meantimethepokerwasgrowingredhotinthecoals,andMrs。Merilliaannouncedtothesupposedratcatcher,——

  \"Icanhearyou——Ihearyoubreathing——\"(theProphetendeavourednottobreathe)。\"Ihearyourustling,butyoucan’ttouchme。Thepokerisredhot。\"

  Andshedrewitsmokingfromthegrateandapproachedthedoor,holdingitinherdelicatehandlikeaweapon。

  \"Grannie!\"saidtheProphet,makinghisvoiceasmuchlikeitgenerallywasashepossiblycould。\"Dearestgrannie!\"

  \"Idareyoutocomein!\"repliedMrs。Merillia,inanalmostformidablemanner。\"Idareyoutodoit。\"

  \"Iamnotcomingin,grannie,\"saidtheProphet。

  \"Thengoaway!\"saidMrs。Merillia。\"Goaway——andletmehearyougoing。\"

  AsuddenideastrucktheProphet。Hedidnotsayanotherword,butimmediatelywalkeddownstairs,trampingheavilyandshakingthewoodbalustersviolentlyateverystephetook。Hisrusesucceeded。Hearingtheintruderdepart,Mrs。Merillia’scuriouscouragedesertedher,shedroppedthepokerintothegrate,andoncemoresetbothbellsgoingwithallhermightandmain。TheProphetletherringfornearlyfiveminutes,thenheboundedoncemoreupstairsandtappedverygentlyonthedoor。

  \"Grannie,\"hecried,\"areyouringing?Whatisit?\"

  ThistimeMrs。Merilliarecognisedhisvoice,totteredtothedoor,unlockedit,andfell,trembling,intohisanxiousarms。

  \"Oh,Hennessey!\"shegasped。\"Oh——Hennessey!\"

  \"Grannie,whatisit?Whatonearthisthematter?\"

  \"Theratcatcher!Theratcatcher!\"

  \"Theratcatcher!\"criedtheProphet。

  \"Hehascomeback。Heishere。Hehasbeentryingtobreakintomyroom。\"

  \"Whatratcatcher?\"

  \"Theonethatdinedto—night——theoneyoucalledyouroldand——andvalued——friend。\"

  \"Mr。Sagittarius?\"exclaimedtheProphet。

  \"Heishere。\"

  \"Here!\"

  \"Ihaveseenhim。Hehastriedtomurderme。\"

  \"Iwilllookintothisatonce,\"saidtheProphet。

  Herantotheheadofthestairsandcalledout,——

  \"Gustavus!\"

  \"Sir!\"

  \"Comeuphereatonce,\"

  Gustavuscame,followedcloselybyMrs。Fancy,whowasinastateofabjectconfusionandalarm。

  \"HasMr。Sagittariusreturnedhere——thegentlemanwhodinedto—night?\"

  askedtheProphet。

  Gustavushesitated,thoughtofDr。Carter’slibrary,andreplied,——

  \"No,sir,\"

  \"Hasanybodyenteredthehouse?\"

  \"No,sir。\"

  \"Youhavebeenupthewholeevening?\"

  \"Yes,sir。\"

  \"Andnobodyhasbeen?\"

  \"Nobody,sir。\"

  \"Grannie,youhearwhatGustavussays。\"

  \"But,Hennessey,heishere;Isawhim。\"

  \"Where?\"

  \"Bythedoor。Iheardsomeone,andIthoughtitwasyou。Icametothedooraftercallingyou,andtherehestood,alldirtyandwet,withahugehatonhishead\"(thesaturninelittleclergymanwaslargelyblessedwithbrain),\"andamostawfulmurderousexpressiononhisface。\"

  TheProphetbegantosuspectthathisdearrelative,upsetbythetragiceventsofthedinnertable,hadgonetosleepandhadthenightmare。

  \"Grannie,itmusthavebeenadream。\"

  \"No,Hennessey,no。\"

  \"Itmustindeed。IleftMr。SagittariusatZoologicalHouse。Ifeelcertainofthat。\"

  TheProphetspokethehonesttruth。HefullybelievedthatMr。

  Sagittariuswasatthatverymomentsharinginthetriumphofhiswifeandreceivingtheworshipofthosewholivethesillylife。

  \"ButIsawhim,Hennessey,\"saidMrs。Merillia,addingratherunnecessarily,\"withmyowneyes。\"

  \"Grannie,darling,youmusthavebeendreaming。Atanyrate,I’mherenow。Nothingcanhurtyou。Gotobed。Fancywillstaywithyou,andI

  sweartoyouthatnoharmwillhappentoyousolongasIambreathing。\"

  WiththesenoblewordstheProphetkissedhisgrandmothertenderly,assistedMrs。Fancyintotheroom,andwalkeddownstairsquitedeterminedthat,comewhatmight,whetherhebrokeathousandoathsornot,hewouldputanendforthwithtothetyrannyofthecouplefromtheMouseandabandonforevertheshockingpursuitofprophecy。

  CHAPTERXX

  THEPROPHETRETIRESFROMBUSINESS

  ExactlyastheProphetarrivedathisresolutionthehalldoorbellrangviolently,andGustavus,whohadslippeddownbeforetheProphetinordertoseekthetravellertoJavaintheservants’quarters,hurriedintothehallinratheradistractedmanner。

  \"Stop,Gustavus!\"saidtheProphet。

  Gustavusstopped。Thebellrangagain。

  \"Gustavus,\"saidtheProphet,\"ifthatisavisitorIamnotathome。

  Mrs。Merilliaisnotathomeeither。\"

  Itwasbythistimebetweenoneandtwointhemorning。

  \"Notathome,sir。Yes,sir。\"

  TheProphetconcealedhimselfnearthehat—rack,andGustavuswentsoftlytothedoorandopenedit。

  \"Notathome,ma’am,\"theProphetheardhimsay,formally。

  \"Whatd’youmean,youngman?\"repliedthepowerfulvoiceofMadame。

  \"Whereismyhusband?\"

  \"Ma’am?\"

  \"Where,Isay,ismyhusband?\"

  \"Icouldn’tsay,I’msure,ma’am。ButMrs。MerilliaandMr。Vivianarenotathome。\"

  \"ThenallIcansayistheyoughttobeinatthistimeofnight。

  Permitmetopass。AreyouawarethatMr。Vivianhasinvitedmetospendthenighthere?/Noctesambrosianes/。\"

  \"But,ma’am,Mr。Viv——\"

  \"That’lldo。IfIhaveanymoreofyourimpertinenceI’llmakeyourepentofit。YouareevidentlynotawarewhoIam。\"

  TheProphet,bythehat—rack,didnotfailtohearanewnoteinthedeepcontraltoofMadame,anoteoftriumph,atrumpetnoteofprofoundconceit。Hisheartsankbeforethisdeterminedmusic,anditsankevenlowertowardshispumpswhen,amomentlater,hefoundhimselfconfrontedbythelady,wrappedcloselyintherabbit—skins,andabsolutelybulgingwithvanityandself—appreciation。

  \"What!Mr。Vivian!\"beganthelady。

  \"Hush!saidtheProphet,\"formercy’ssake——hush!\"

  And,actingupontheimpulseofthemoment,hesuddenlyseizedMadamebythehand,andhurriedherthroughtheswingingdoorintotheservants’hall。

  \"Here’sago,\"murmuredGustavusinthegreatesttrepidation。\"Iftheydon’tfindthethinpartyI’majosser。\"

  MeanwhiletheProphetandMadamewerestandingfacetofacebeforethewhat—notofGustavus。

  \"Mygrandmotherisawake——thatisasleep,\"saidtheProphet。\"Wemustnotwakeheronanyaccount。\"

  \"Oh,\"returnedMadame,withatossofherhead,\"yourgrandmotherseemstobeaveryfidgetyoldlady,I’msure——althoughyoudotellaparcelofliesabouther。\"

  \"Lies!\"saidtheProphet,withsomedignity。

  \"Yes——lies。Shedon’twearlongclothes——\"

  \"Ibegyourpardon!\"

  \"Shedonot。Shedon’twearherhairdown。Shedon’tputherlipstothebottle。Shedon’t。WhereisMr。Sagi——whereisMalkieltheSecond?\"

  \"Ihavenoidea。Andnow,Madame,IregretthatImustconductyoutoyourcarriage。Thehourislate,mygrandmotherisseriouslyindisposed,andImyselfneedrest。\"

  \"Well,then,youcan’thaveit,\"retortedtheladywithauthoritativespitefulness。\"Youcan’thaveit,nottillthreeo’clock。\"

  \"Ibegyourpardon!\"saidtheProphet,withtremblinglips。

  \"Whatfor?\"

  \"IreallyregretthatImustretire。Allowme——\"

  \"I’llnotallowyou。Whereismyhusband?He’snotattheZoologicalGardens。\"

  \"Hehasprobablyreturnedhome。\"

  \"TotheMouse!Thenhe’sacowardandanoath—breaker,andifSirTiglathwastocatchhimIshouldn’tbesorry。Kindlyleadmeatoncetothetelescope。Iwilltakehisplace。NooneshallsaythatMadameMalkieleverflinchedatduty’scall。/Praestoetpersistibus/。Conductmeatoncetothetelescope。\"

  \"Thetelescope!\"criedtheProphet。\"Whatfor?\"

  \"Lawks!\"criedMadame,withpronouncedtemper。\"DidwenotjourneyfromtheMousea—purposetogopracticallyintothemysteryofthedressedCrab?\"

  \"Ireally——Ireallycannotconsentwithoutachaperon,\"begantheProphet。

  \"ThewifeofMalkieltheSecondneedsnochaperone,\"retortedMadame。

  \"Thisnighthasalteredmycondition——Istandfromhenceforthfarbeyondthereachofetiquette。Theworldknowsmenowandwillnotdaretocarp。/Carpedies/。\"

  Duringtheforegoingcolloquyhervoicehadbecomelouderandlouder,andtheProphet,dreadingunspeakablylesthisgrandmothershouldbedisturbedandaffrightedoncemore,gaveupthestruggle,and,withoutmoreado,conductedMadameintothebutler’spantryinwhichthetelescopestillremained。

  MeanwhilewhathadbecomeofMalkieltheSecond?

  WhenMrs。Merilliasuddenlyappearedbeforehiminhernight—bonnetandaccusedhimofbeingaratcatcherhehadverynaturallyfled,hisfirstimpulsebeingtoleavethehouseatonceandcontinuehisjourneytothedocks。Butevenaprophetisbutmortal。Malkielhadpassedthroughaneventfuldayfollowedbyastillmoreeventfulevening。Hismindwascompletelyexhausted。Evenso,however,hemighthavecontinueduponhisjourneytowardsJavahadnothislegsprosaicallyshownsignsofgivingwayunderhimjustasheoncemoregainedthehall。Thisdecidedhim。Hemusthavesomeshortreposeatwhatevercost。Hethereforepushedfeeblyatthenearestdoor,andfoundhimselfpromptlyintheapartmentoftheupperservants。Staggeringtothewhat—notofGustavus,hesankdownuponitandfellintoamelancholyreverie,fromwhichhewasrousedbytheconstanttinglingcryofMrs。Merillia’ssecondbell,whichrangclosetowherehewasreposing。Hetriedtostartup,butfailed,anditwasonlywhenthehalldoorbell,attackedbytheProphet,addeditsvoicetoitscompanion’sthathisterrorlenthimsufficientstrengthtofleeveryslowlyintotheinnerfastnessesofthisunknownregion。Therewasalightintheservant’shall,butdarknesslaybeyondandMalkielknewnotwhitherhewaspenetrating。Hebarkedhisshins,butcouldnottellagainstwhathardsubstance。Hebruisedhiselbow,butcouldnotknowwhatpieceoffurniturehadassailedit。Oncomingincontactwithadresserhesawafewsparks,buttheyspeedilydiedout,andhewasobligedtofeelhiswayonward,tillpresentlyhecameacrossalargeleatherchairinwhichMrs。

  Merillia’scookwaswonttositwhiledirectinghersubordinatesatthebastingmachine。Intothishesankpalpitating,andforamomentremainedundisturbed。Then,tohishorror,heheardintheadjoiningroomthestridentvoiceofhislovedandhonouredwifeapparentlycarryingonadecidedlyvivaciousargumentwithsomepersonunknown。Heboundedup。PossiblyshewasaccompaniedbySirTiglath,whomustnowbeawareofhisidentity。Inanycase,herwrathathisscarcelychivalrousdesertionofherinthehouseofastrangerwould,heknew,beterrible。Hedarednotfaceit。Hedarednotallowhisprojectofflightatdawntobeinterferedwith,asitcertainlywouldbeifhecameacrossMadame。Hethereforeproceededtofleeoncemore。NordidhepauseuntilhehadgainedMr。Ferdinand’spantry,wherestoodthetelescope。Now,inthispantrytherewasalargecupboardinwhichwerekepttheverynumerousandmagnificentpiecesofplate,etc。,possessedbyMrs。Merillia;tallsilvercandelabra,standardlampsofpolishedbronze,richly—chasedcups,giganticvasesforcontainingflowers,orientalincenseholdersuponstandsofebony,Spanishcharcoaldishesofburnishedbrass,andothertreasuresfartoonumeroustomention。

  Thiscupboardwasalwayscarefullylockedatnight,butonthisoccasionMr。Ferdinand,totallydisorganisedbythefrightfulsceneswhichhadtakenplaceathisdinnertableduringtheevening,hadretiredtobedinaconditionofcollapse,leavingitopen。MalkieltheSecond,feelingfranticallyaboutinthedark,cameuponthedoorofthiscupboard,pulledit,foundthatityieldedtohishand,and,hearingtherapidlyapproachingvoicesofMadameandtheProphet,stumbledintothecupboardandsankdownonalargegoldloving—cup,withonefootinasilversouptureen,andtheotherinapricelesssugarbasin,justasthelightofthecandlebornebytheProphetglimmeredinthedarknessoftheadjacentcorridor。

  \"Thisway,Madame,\"saidtheProphet。\"ButIreallythinksuchaproceedingiscalculatedtocauseagravescandalinthesquare。\"

  MalkieltheSeconddrewthecupboarddoorto,andgraspedasilvercandelabrumineachhandtosustainhimselfupontherathersharprimoftheloving—cup。

  \"WhatisthesquaretomeorItothesquare?\"returnedMadamewithungrammaticalmajesty。\"MadameMalkielisnotgovernedbyanyordinarylaws。/Lexesnonscripta/ishermotto。Tothesealonesheclings。\"

  Herhusbandclungtothecandelabraandburstintoaviolentperspiration。Throughthekeyholeofthecupboardarayoflightnowshone,andheheardthefrou—frouofhispartner’sskirt,theflumpoftherabbit—skinsasshecastthemfromherampleshouldersuponthefloor。TheProphet’svoicebecameaudibleagain。

  \"Whatdoyouwishmetodo?\"hesaid,withasortofembitteredcourtesy。

  \"Throwopenthewindow,placeyourselfbeforethetelescope,andproceedatoncetoyourinvestigations,\"repliedthelady。

  \"Iamnotinaconditiontoinvestigate,\"saidtheProphet。\"Iamnotindeed。Ifyouwillonlyletmegetyouacab,to—morrownight——\"

  ’Itisuselesstotalk,Mr。Vivian,\"saidMadame,verysharply。\"ThecabhasnotyetbeenmadethatwillconveymetotheMouseto—night。\"

  \"Butyourhusband——\"

  \"Myhusbandisacoward,unworthyofsuchawifeashepossesses。Atthecrisisofourfortunes——What’sthat?\"

  AtthispainfulmomentMalkieltheSecondwassoovercomebyemotion,thathetrembled,andallowedhisleftfoottorattleslightlyonthesugarbasin。

  \"Whatwasit?\"repeatedMadame。

  \"Rats,Ihavenodoubt,\"answeredtheProphet,whohadheardnothing。

  \"Ibelievethatthebasementsoftheseoldhousesaresimply——well——

  simplypermeatedwithrats。\"

  ForamomentMadameblanched,butshewasawomanofspirit,andmoreovershewasalmostintoxicatedwithambition。Recognisedatlastasaladyofpositionandimportanceinoneofthemansionsoftheidioticgreat,shewasmoreanxiousthanevertoremoveforthwithintothecentraldistricts,theretoexercisethatswaywhichshehadsolongdesired。Findingthatthereexistsaworldinwhichprophets——farfrombeingconsideredasdirtyanddeceitfulpersons——areworshippedandadored,entertainedwithPommeryandtreatedalmostasgods,sheyearnedtodwellinthemidstofit。ThepeacefulseclusionoftheMousewasbecomehatefultoher。ThearchitectsandtheirwivesbegantoseemtoherupliftedfancylittlebetterthanthecirclethatfrequentedHagglin’sBuildings,orappearedatthepaltryentertainmentsgivenbytheinhabitantsofDrakeman’sVillas。Shewasresolvedtosoar,andevenratsshouldnotturnherfromherpassionatepurpose。Accordinglyshereplied,——

  \"Ratsornorats,Iintendtoseethismatterout。/Dixisti!/Thenightwanes。Kindlygoatoncetothetelescope。\"

  TheProphetobeyed,firstopeningthewindowintothearea。Therainhadnowclearedoff,buttheskywasstillrathercloudy,andonlyafewstarspeepedhereandthere。

  \"Really,\"saidtheProphet,afterapplyinghiswearyeyetothemachine,\"reallyIdon’tthinkit’sanygood,therearesovery——\"

  \"HavethegoodnesstoplacetheoldladyintheclawsoftheCrab,accordingtothedirectionsofthecowardwhohasdesertedme。\"

  Malkielshookwithshameupontheloving—cup。

  \"ButIreallycan’tfindtheCrab,\"saidtheProphet,whowassotiredthathecouldscarcelystand。\"IcanseetheGreatBear。\"

  \"Thatisnouse。TheBearhasnothingtodowiththeoldlady。YoumustfindtheCrab。Lookagain。\"

  TheProphetdidso。Buthiseyeblinkedwithfatigueandtheheavensswambeforeit。

  \"ThereisnoCrabto—night,\"hesaid。\"Iassureyouonmyhonourthereisnone。\"

  Exactlyashefinishedmakingthisstatementalowwhistlerangthroughthesilenceofthenight。TheProphetstarted,Madamejumped,andMalkielboundedontheloving—cup。

  Thewhistlewasrepeated。

  \"It’sthething!\"whisperedtheProphet。

  \"Whatthing?\"inquiredMadame,whohadbecomeratherpale。

  \"ThedarkthingthattoldmetheCrabwasdressed。Ithascomeagain。\"

  \"Myword!\"ejaculatedMadame,lookinguneasilyaround。\"Whereisit?\"

  JustthenMalkieltheSecond’sfeetoncemorebegantotrembleamongtheplateofMrs。Merillia。

  \"Youhearit!\"saidtheProphet,muchimpressed。

  \"Diditrattlelikethattheothernight?\"gaspedMadame,seizingtheProphetbythearm。

  TheProphettoldaliewithhishead。

  \"Addressit,Ibeg,\"saidMadame,inagreatstateofexcitement。

  \"MeanwhileIwillretireafewpaces。\"

  Sosaying,shebackedintothepassage,bearingthecandlewithherforcompany,andleavingtheProphetintotaldarkness。Thelowwhistlesoundedagain,andahuskyvoicesaid,——

  \"Areyouthere?\"

  \"Yes,\"repliedtheProphet,summoningallhiscourage。\"Iam。\"

  \"What’a’youputoutthelightfor?\"saidthevoice,whichseemedtocomefromfaraway。

  \"Ihaven’tputitout,\"returnedtheProphet。\"It’sgoneaway。\"

  AtthisjunctureMalkiel,impelledbycuriosity,ceasedfromtrembling,and,leaningforwardupontheloving—cup,gluedhiseartothekey—holeofthecupboard。

  \"Whywasyousolateto—night?\"proceededthevoice。\"She’sbeeninararetaking,Icantellyou。\"

  \"Who?\"

  \"Who?Youknowwellenough。\"

  \"Doyoumeanmygrandmother?\"

  \"Yourgrandmother!\"ejaculatedthevoicewithapparentsarcasm。\"Ah!ofcourse,whatdoyouthink?\"

  \"I’msureIdon’tknow,\"saidthepoorProphet,whosereasonwasbeginningtototteruponitsthrone。

  \"Well,\"proceededthevoice,\"shethoughtyou’dgiveitup。\"

  \"What——mygrandmotherdid?\"

  \"Ah,yourgrandmother。Getawaywithyou!Ha!ha!ha!\"

  Andthemysteriousvisitantbrokeforthintoapealofrathermundanelaughter。Afterindulginginthisunseemlymirthforaboutaminuteandahalf,thepersonageresumed,——

  \"TheCrabdidforher。\"

  UponhearingthemysticwordMadamecreptstealthilyapaceortwonearertothedoor,whiletheProphetexclaimed,——

  \"ThedressedCrab?\"

  \"Ah,whatdo/you/think?Notawinkofsleepandthoughteveryminute’dbe’ernext。\"

  \"GoodHeavens!\"

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