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"I couldn't keep 'em waiting, though injured I will look," promised Mrs Bowldler, catching up one of the two tea-trays. "Palmerston had better withdraw into the grounds and control himself. I will igsplain that I have sent him on an errand connected with the establishment." She bustled forth. Fancy closed the door after her; then turned and addressed Palmerston.
She tapped her foot. "I don't care how bad you read so long as you don't keep me waitin' a moment longer." "Please don't talk any more, but read!" "Oh, very well. The chapter is called 'Ernest makes Another Attempt. Ernest is what Mrs Bowldler calls the hero, which means that the book is all about him. It begins "
Mr Philp, passing and repassing many times a day, never missed to halt and attempt conversation; with small result, however. "It's a wonder to me," he grumbled at last, "how men of your age can risk scramblin' about on ladders with your mouths constantly full o' nails." In the evenings they supped together. Mrs Bowldler had made free to suggest this.
But Bill, you see, always carries an empty sack or two to sit upon; so there was no countin' to be done at that end, d'ye see?" "I see," said Cai gravely. It crossed his mind that he had been over-hasty in rebuking Mrs Bowldler. "I wonder," put in the child Fancy, "how you can sit there an' tell such a story!
"He he made a communication to me this afternoon," said Mrs Bowldler delicately; "or, as you might prefer to put it, he passed a remark." "What was it?" Mrs Bowldler cast a glance behind her at the gas jet. "I really couldn't, sir! Not even if you were to put out the light; and as a gentleman you won't press it." "Certainly not," Cai assured her. He mused.
"'Stonishing," Cai assented. They played two games of cribbage and retired to bed. As he undressed Cai remembered his omission to warn 'Bias explicitly of what according to Mrs Bowldler the parrot was capable. "I'll warn him after breakfast to-morrow," said Cai to himself magnanimously, as he arose from his prayers. "Poor old 'Bias what a good fellow it is, after all!"
With a nod of the head she was gone. Before leaving the house she visited the kitchen, to bid good-night to Mrs Bowldler. But Mrs Bowldler was not in the kitchen. She mounted the stairs and tapped at the door of Palmerston's attic chamber. "Hullo!" said she looking in, "what's become of Geraldine?"
"So I did: two solid golden sufferins. And that," said Mrs Bowldler, "was for some time the most astonishin' part of the business. Two solid golden sufferins: and low! as the sayin' is low and behold, eighteen pence in small silver!" "Little enough too, for a miracle!" mused Fancy. "It encouraged 'em to go on.
"Which," said Mrs Bowldler with a trembling cough, "the bare thought of taking service again with two strange gentlemen in my state of health is a nordeal, and as such I put it to you." Here she smoothed the front of her gown and turned upon Tobias with unexpected spirit.
Mrs Bowldler half-closed her eyes in dreamy reminiscence. "Further than that I would not like to commit myself." "He's dead, then?" "He was a fitter in a ladies' tailorin', and naturally gay by temperament. It led to misunderstandin's. . . . Dead? No, not that I am aware of. For all I know he's still starrin' it somewhere in the provinces."
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