"Only one left?" I said mechanically.
"Ay, ay," said old Giles; "and he be pretty bad, I fancy. They've got
him in furrin parts where the sun shines all along; but they do say he
be wild to get back home, but that'll not be, but in his coffin, to be
laid with the rest in the big vault. Ay, ay, affliction spares none,
sir, nor yet death."
So this last of the St. John family was a boy. If the little ladies
were his sisters, both must be dead; if not, I did not know who they
were. I felt very angry with the housekeeper for her sulky reticence.
I was also not highly pleased by her manner of treating me, for she
evidently took me for one of the Sunday-school boys. I fear it was
partly a shabby pride on this point which led me to "tip" her with
half-a-crown on my own account when we were taking leave. In a moment
she became civil to slavishness, hoped I had enjoyed myself, and
professed her willingness to show me anything about the place any day
when there were not so "many of them school children crowging and
putting a body out, sir. There's such a many common people comes,
sir," she added, "I'm quite wored out, and having no need to be in
service, and all my friends a-begging of me to leave.
Pages:
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204