"Nonsense! I'll come in and administer. I'll be thinking about your epitaph. Mine is already stored away for use:—
'From which it is believed,
The unfortunate bereaved
Went to sea, and was promiscuously drownded.'"
"Now, isn't that pathetic?"
"O Joe! you are too bad!"
"It's a sign of long life, my dear. I have had to be worse than usual, to balance your account."
Everybody said Hal must have the place. Mr. Darol actually purchased it, and took Dot over to see the cottage. It was not very large, but sufficiently roomy for them, and had only been tenanted for a year; a pretty parlor and sitting-room, with a nice large kitchen, and abundance of closets. The chambers up stairs were very pleasant, and commanded a beautiful view.
"Will it do for you, O morsel of womankind?" asked Mr. Darol. "I propose to buy you a dog, and call you Mother Hubbard."