Part 10 (1/2)
”No, indeed; he talked of no such awful matters. If he had, you know, Matilda, I should never have understood him. First we talked about the weather, next about m.u.f.fins and crumpets. Crumpets, he said, he liked best; and then we talked” (here Miss Kicksey's voice fell) ”about poor dear Sir George in heaven! what a good husband he was, and--”
”What a good fortune he left, eh, Miss Kicksey?” says my lady, with a hard, snearing voice, and a diabollicle grin.
”Yes, dear Leonora, he spoke so respectfully of your blessed husband, and seemed so anxious about you and Matilda, it was quite charming to hear him, dear man!”
”And pray, Miss Kicksey, what did you tell him?”
”Oh, I told him that you and Leonora had nine thousand a year, and--”
”What then?”
”Why, nothing; that is all I know. I am sure I wish I had ninety,” says poor Kicksey, her eyes turning to heaven.
”Ninety fiddlesticks! Did not Mr. Deuceace ask how the money was left, and to which of us?”
”Yes; but I could not tell him.”
”I knew it!” says my lady, slapping down her tea-cup,--”I knew it!”
”Well!” says Miss Matilda, ”and why not, Lady Griffin? There is no reason you should break your tea-cup, because Algernon asks a harmless question. HE is not mercenary; he is all candor, innocence, generosity!
He is himself blessed with a sufficient portion of the world's goods to be content; and often and often has he told me he hoped the woman of his choice might come to him without a penny, that he might show the purity of his affection.”
”I've no doubt,” says my lady. ”Perhaps the lady of his choice is Miss Matilda Griffin!” and she flung out of the room, slamming the door, and leaving Miss Matilda to bust into tears, as was her reglar custom, and pour her loves and woas into the buzzom of Miss Kicksey.
CHAPTER IV.
”HITTING THE NALE ON THE HEDD.”
The nex morning, down came me and master to Lady Griffinses,--I amusing myself with the gals in the antyroom, he paying his devours to the ladies in the salong. Miss was thrumming on her gitter; my lady was before a great box of papers, busy with accounts, bankers' books, lawyers' letters, and what not. Law bless us! it's a kind of bisniss I should like well enuff; especially when my hannual account was seven or eight thousand on the right side, like my lady's. My lady in this house kep all these matters to herself. Miss was a vast deal too sentrimentle to mind business.
Miss Matilda's eyes sparkled as master came in; she pinted gracefully to a place on the sofy beside her, which Deuceace took. My lady only looked up for a moment, smiled very kindly, and down went her head among the papers agen, as busy as a B.
”Lady Griffin has had letters from London,” says Miss, ”from nasty lawyers and people. Come here and sit by me, you naughty man you!”
And down sat master. ”Willingly,” says he, ”my dear Miss Griffin; why, I declare, it is quits a tete-a-tete.”
”Well,” says Miss (after the prillimnary flumries, in coa.r.s.e), ”we met a friend of yours at the emba.s.sy, Mr. Deuceace.”
”My father, doubtless; he is a great friend of the amba.s.sador, and surprised me myself by a visit the night before last.”
”What a dear delightful old man! how he loves you, Mr. Deuceace!”
”Oh, amazingly!” says master, throwing his i's to heaven.
”He spoke of nothing but you, and such praises of you!”
Master breathed more freely. ”He is very good, my dear father; but blind, as all fathers are, he is so partial and attached to me.”
”He spoke of you being his favorite child, and regretted that you were not his eldest son. 'I can but leave him the small portion of a younger brother,' he said; 'but never mind, he has talents, a n.o.ble name, and an independence of his own.'”