“Oh, delightful!” exclaimed Lady Juliana, starting up; “now I shall be quite happy.  Where’s Harry!  Does he know?  Is he gone to order the carriage!  Can we get away to-day?” And she was flying out of the room when Miss Jacky caught her by one hand, while Miss Grizzy secured the other.

“Oh, pray don’t detain me!  I must find Harry; and I have all my things to put up,” struggling to release herself from the gripe of the sisters; when the door opened, and Harry entered, eager, yet dreading to know the effects of the eclaircissernent. His surprise extreme at beholding his wife, with her eyes sparkling, her cheeks glowing, and her whole countenance expressing extreme pleasure.  Darting from her keepers, she bounded towards him with the wildest ejaculations of delight; while he stood alternately gazing at her and his aunts, seeking by his eyes the explanation he feared to demand.

“My dearest Juliana, what is the meaning of all this?” he at length articulated.

“Oh, you cunning thing!  So you think I don’t know that your father has given you a great, great quantity of money, and that we may go away whenever we please, and do just as we like, and live in London, and—­and—­oh, delightful!” And she bounded and skipped before the eyes of the petrified spinsters.

“In the name of heaven, what does all this mean?” asked Henry, addressing his aunts, who, for the first time in their lives, were struck dumb by astonishment.  But Miss Jacky, at length recollecting herself, turned to Lady Juliana, who was still testifying her delight by a variety of childish but graceful movements, and thus addressed her: 

“Permit me to put a few questions to your Ladyship, in presence of those who were witnesses of what has already passed.”

“Oh, I can’t endure to be asked questions; besides, I have no time to answer them.”

“Your Ladyship must excuse me; But I can’t permit you to leave this room under the influence of an error.  Have the goodness to answer me the following questions, and you will then be at liberty to depart.  Did I inform your Ladyship that my brother had given my nephew a great quantity of money?”

“Oh yes! a great, great deal; I don’t know how much, though—­”

“Did I?” returned her interrogator.

“Come, come, have done with all this confounded nonsense!” exclaimed Henry passionately.  “Do you imagine I will allow Lady Juliana to stand here all day, to answer all the absurd questions that come into the heads of three old women?  You stupefy and bewilder her with your eternal tattling and roundabout harangues.”  And he paced the room in a paroxysm of rage, while his wife suspended her dancing, and stood in breathless amazement.

“I declare—­I’m sure—­it’s a thousand pities that there should have been any mistake made,” whined poor Miss Grizzy.

“The only remedy is to explain the matter quickly,” observed Miss Nicky; “better late than never.”