"I am an old friend, and shall be disappointed not to see her." "I 'm sorry, 'm, but I could n't possibly call her out; it would be as much as my place is worth.

Her strict orders is that nobody once inside of Paradise door shall be called out." "That does seem reasonable," I thought to myself.
"But," she continued, "Mrs.Bird told me to let young Mr.Noble up the stairs so 't he could peek in the door, and as you 're an old friend I hev n't no objections to your goin' up softly and peekin' in with him till Miss Pauline 's through,--it won't be long, 'm." My curiosity was aroused by this time, and I came to the conclusion that "peekin' in the door" of Paradise with "young Mr.Noble" would be better than nothing; so up I went, like a thief in the night.
The room was at the head of the stairs, and one of the doors was open, and had a heavy portiere hanging across it.

Behind this was young Mr.
Noble, "peekin'" most greedily, together with a middle-aged gentleman not described by the voluble parlor maid.

They did n't seem to notice me; they were otherwise occupied, or perhaps they thought me one of the nurses or mothers.

I had heard the sound of a piano as I crossed the hall, but it was still now.