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 "He's asleep just now."

"Oh! when he wakes, you can give him this toy, I brought it for him; I saw it in the Strand, and it took my fancy."

It was a nice little model of a tomb, and when a spring was touched at the side, a skeleton jumped out, made a bow, and jumped in again, Willis looked at it with a grim satisfaction, which was not at all diminished by the positive refusal of his mother and sisters-in-law to allow Charlie even to hear of it, much less to see it. Willis really was fond of his child, and did not press his pet skeleton on their acceptance, when he found they thought it might frighten Charlie. In fact, he was rather glad to take it home again, for his own diversion.

Lady Chester and Aileen had hardly sat down in Mrs. Hopkinson's parlour, when the showy carriage appeared, and the Baroness and her son were announced.

"Do not say anything about us," whispered Blanche; "we shall amuse ourselves with Charlie," and Mrs. Hopkinson took the hint,