“How could I know it was him?” protested Elleney.

“To be sure, to be sure, none of us expected him; an’ any way it doesn’t matter about you.  Here, pull down your sleeves, dear, and take my place for a bit.  Where’s Ju?”

“She’s above, doin’ her hair, and Henny’s sewin’ the bows on her dress.”

“Well, well, I’ll call them.  You’ll have to keep the shop goin’ altogether, Elleney, this day.  All the girls is wild to have a chance, an’ I know ye won’t mind doin’ a bit extra.”

“I wonder which it will be,” meditated Elleney.  “If I was him I’d take Nanny.”

But Mr. Brian seemed quite unmoved by Nanny’s rollicking charms.  He was, indeed, to some extent struck by the appearance of Juliana, who, with her hair done up into what her mother called a “shin-on”—­a fashion much affected when she was a young woman—­and wearing a silk dress with flounces innumerable of the terra-cotta hue beloved, for some occult reason, of her kind, entered the room with an air of stately magnificence.  The young visitor was very respectful to Juliana, and spoke in particularly genteel tones when addressing her.  But his eyes wandered perpetually towards the door, and an acute observer might have detected a certain lengthening of visage at each fresh arrival on the scene.

When the seven specimens of maidenhood, from among whom he was expected to make his choice, were at length seated in various constrained attitudes about the room, a dead silence fell, broken only by an occasional nervous remark from Mrs. McNally, and a monosyllabic response from the wooer.  The relief was general when the “decent body,” engaged to help for the day, opened the door with a very black hand, kicked it still further back with a gaping shoe, and finally entered the room bearing a large tray.

A repast, which the lady aforesaid subsequently described as “sumpchus,” soon adorned the board, and Mrs. McNally, with a deprecating giggle, advised Brian to sit next the partner he liked best.

He hesitated, and cast a baffled glance round the room.

“Sure the whole of the family isn’t here, is it?” he inquired.

“How many more would you want?” returned Juliana, with a playfulness strongly tinged with asperity.

“Didn’t I see another young lady an’ I comin’ in?” he persisted.

“Who in the name of wonder did he see, m’mah?” whispered Henrietta, while the others looked blank.

“I b’lieve ’twas Elleney let him in,” said Mrs. McNally.  “The poor fellow, he’s that well-mannered he thinks bad o’ sittin’ down without her.  We’re all here that can be here at present, Mr. Brian,” she remarked aloud.  “Little Elleney that ye seen awhile ago is mindin’ the shop for me.  We’ll keep a bit hot for her till I go to take her place.”

“Oh! that indeed?” said Brian rather blankly.  “Isn’t it clever of her to be able to mind the shop, and she so young?  I s’pose she’s the youngest of them?”