_Dorothy._ Don't mind what these gentlemen say, Jennie, but go on. [_YARDSLEY sinks into the arm-chair. BARLOW chuckles; MISS ANDREWS glances indignantly at him._ _Dorothy._ Pardon me, Mr. Barlow. If there is any humor in the situation, I fail to see it. _Barlow_ (_seeing his error_). Nor, indeed, do I. I was not--ah--laughing from mirth. That chuckle was hysterics, Miss Dorothy, I assure you. There are some laughs that can hardly be differentiated from sobs. _Jennie._ I was all took in a heap, mum, to think of a fine gentleman like Mr. Yardsley proposing to me, mum, and I says the same. Says I, "Oh, Mr. Yardsley, this is so suddent like," whereat he looks up with a countenance so full o' pain that I hadn't the heart to refuse him; so, fergettin' Hicks for the moment, I says, kind o' soft like, certingly, sir. It ain't for the likes o' me to say no to the likes o' him. _Yardsley._ Then you said you were engaged to Hicks. You know you did, Jennie. _Barlow._ Ah! Then you admit the proposal? _Yardsley._ Oh, Lord! Worse and worse! I-- _Dorothy._ Jennie has not finished her story. _Jennie._ I did say as how I was engaged to Hicks, but I thought he would let me off; and Mr. Yardsley looked glad when I said that, and said he'd make it all right with Hicks. _Yardsley._ What? I? Jennie O'Brien, or whatever your horrible name is, do you mean to say that I said I'd make it all right with Hicks? _Jennie._ Not in them words, Mr. Yardsley; but you did say as how you'd see him yourself and give him a present. You did indeed, Mr. Yardsley, as you was a-standin' on that there Proossian rug. _Dorothy._ Did you, Mr. Yardsley? [_YARDSLEY buries his face in his hands and groans._ _Barlow._ Not so ready with your explanations now, eh? _Dorothy._ Mr. Barlow, really I must ask you not to interfere. Did you say that, Mr. Yardsley? _Yardsley._ I did, but-- _Dorothy_ (_frigidly_). Go on, Jennie. _Jennie._ Just then the front-door bell rings and Mr. Barlow comes, and there wasn't no more importunity for me to speak; but when I got down-stairs into the kitchen, mum, Mr. Hicks he comes in, an' (_sobs_)--an' I breaks with him. _Yardsley._ You've broken with Hicks for me? _Jennie._ Yes, I have--but I wouldn't never have done it if I'd known--boo-hoo--as how you'd behave this way an' deny ever havin' said a word. I--I--I l-lo-love Mr. Hicks, an' I--I hate you--and I wish I'd let him come up and kill you, as he said he would. _Dorothy._ Jennie! Jennie! be calm! Where is Hicks now? _Yardsley._ That's so. Where is Hicks? I want to see him. _Jennie._ Never fear for that. You'll see him. He's layin' for you outside. An' that, Miss Dorothy, is why I was a-wavin' at him an' sayin' "pst" to him. I wanted to warn him, mum, of his danger, mum, because Hicks is very vi'lent, and he told me in so many words as how he was a-goin' to _do--him--up_. _Barlow._ You'd better inform Mr. Hicks, Jennie, that Mr. Yardsley is already done up.