“Hish-ish! no you’re not! leastways, she’s not.  I’ve got something very strange to tell you,” said Miss Nancy, mysteriously drawing her chair up close to her nephew, and putting her lips to his ear, and whispering—­“Hish-ish!”

“‘Hish-ish!’ What are you ’hish-ish’ing for, Aunt Nancy, I’m not saying anything, and your breath spins into a fellow’s ear enough to give him an ear-ache!” said Dr. Solomon, jerking his head away.

“Now then listen—­Marian Mayfield has got a fortune left to her.”

Miss Nancy paused to see the effect of this startling piece of news upon her companion.

But the doctor was not sulky, and upon his guard; so after an involuntary slight start, he remained perfectly still.  Miss Nancy was disappointed by the calm way in which he took this marvelous revelation.  However, she went on to say: 

“Yes! a fortune left her, by a grand-uncle, a bachelor, who died intestate in Wiltshire, England.  Now, what do you think of that!”

“Why, I think if she wouldn’t have me when she was poor, she won’t be apt to do it now she’s rich.”

“Ah! but you see, she don’t know a word of it!”

“How do you know it, then?”

“Hish-ish!  I’ll tell you if you will never tell.  Oh, Lord, no, you mustn’t indeed!  You wouldn’t, I know, ’cause it would ruin us!  Listen—­”

“Now, Aunt Nancy, don’t be letting me into any of your capital crimes and hanging secrets—­don’t, because I don’t want to hear them, and I won’t neither!  I ain’t used to such! and I’m afraid of them, too!”

“‘Fraid o’ what?  Nobody can prove it,” answered Miss Nancy, a little incoherently.

“You know what better than I do, Aunt Nancy; and let me tell you, you’d better be careful.  The eyes of the community are upon you.”

“Let ’em prove it!  Let ’em prove it!  They ain’t got no witnesses!  Chizzle and the cat ain’t no witnesses,” said Miss Nancy, obscurely; “let ’em do their worse!  I reckon I know something about law as well as they do! if I am a lone ’oman!”

“They can procure your removal from office without proving anything against you except unpopularity.”

“That’s Commodore Waugh’s plan! the ugly, wicked, old buggaboo!  ’Tain’t such great shakes of an office neither, the dear knows!”

“Never mind, Aunt Nancy, mend your ways, and maybe they’ll not disturb you.  And don’t tell me any of your capital secrets, because I might be summoned as a witness against you, which would not be so agreeable to my feelings—­yon understand!  And now tell me, if you are absolutely certain that Miss Mayfield has had that fortune left her.  But stop! don’t tell me how you found it out!”

“Well, yes, I am certain—­sure, she has a great fortune left her.  I have the positive proofs of it.  And, moreover, nobody in this country don’t know it but myself—­and you.  And now I tell you, don’t hint the matter to a soul.  Be spry! dress yourself up jam! and go a courting before anybody else finds it out!”