Five years have passed since then, and all has gone well. Thaddeus
has remained free, and, as he proudly observes, domestics now
tremble at his approach--that is, all except Norah, who remembers
him as of old. Ellen and Jane are living together in affluence,
having saved their wages for nearly the whole of their term of
"service." Bessie is happy in the possession of two fine boys, to
whom all her attention--all save a little reserved for Thaddeus--is
given; and, as for the dubious, auburn-haired, and distinctly Celtic
Norah, Thaddeus is afraid that she is developing into a "treasure."
"Why do you think so?" Bessie asked him, when he first expressed
that fear.
"Oh, she has the symptoms," returned Thaddeus. "She has taken three
nights off this week."