fortune to be on that side of the door which was in Nell's room; she

turned it on him when the landlady had withdrawn, and crept to bed

again with a thankful heart.

The schoolmaster sat for a long time smoking his pipe by the kitchen

fire, which was now deserted, thinking, with a very happy face, on the

fortunate chance which had brought him so opportunely to the child's

assistance, and parrying, as well as in his simple way he could, the

inquisitive cross-examination of the landlady, who had a great

curiosity to be made acquainted with every particular of Nell's life and

history. The poor schoolmaster was so open-hearted, and so little

versed in the most ordinary cunning or deceit, that she could not have

failed to succeed in the first five minutes, but that he happened to be

unacquainted with what she wished to know; and so he told her. The

landlady, by no means satisfied with this assurance, which she

considered an ingenious evasion of the question, rejoined that he had

his reasons of course. Heaven forbid that she should wish to pry into

the affairs of her customers, which indeed were no business of hers,

who had so many of her own. She had merely asked a civil question,

and to be sure she knew it would meet with a civil answer. She was

quite satisfied - quite. She had rather perhaps that he would have

said at once that he didn't choose to be communicative, because that

would have been plain and intelligible. However, she had no right to

be offended of course. He was the best judge, and had a perfect right

to say what he pleased; nobody could dispute that for a moment. Oh

dear, no!

I assure you, my good lady,' said the mild schoolmaster, 'that I have

told you the plain truth. As I hope to be saved, I have told you the

truth.'

Why then, I do believe you are in earnest,' rejoined the landlady, with

ready good-humour, 'and I'm very sorry I have teazed you. But

curiosity you know is the curse of our sex, and that's the fact.' The

landlord scratched his head, as if he thought the curse sometimes

involved the other sex likewise; but he was prevented from making

any remark to that effect, if he had it in contemplation to do so, by the

schoolmaster's rejoinder.

'You should question me for half-a-dozen hours at a sitting, and

welcome, and I would answer you patiently for the kindness of heart

you have shown to-night, if I could,' he said. 'As it is, please to take

care of her in the morning, and let me know early how she is; and to

understand that I am paymaster for the three.'

So, parting with them on most friendly terms (not the less cordial

perhaps for this last direction), the schoolmaster went to his bed, and

the host and hostess to theirs.

The Old Curiosity Shop