"`Are you a woman?' he says. `Have you feeling? Can you form any idea of the pain your words are giving me?' "`Yes, yes, yes,' says missus. `Mr Vining, why do you force me to speak? I do not wish to cause trouble, but you drive me to do so.' "`Speak, then,' he says, quite in another voice, `unless you wish to drive me mad, or to something worse--' There, I'm blessed," continued Edward, breaking short off in his narrative, and pointing to the cook, "did you ever see such a woman? Why, what are you snivelling about?" "I--I--I c-c-c-can't help it, Eddard, when I think of what those poor things must be suffering," sobbed cook, with a liberal application of her apron to her eyes. "Suffer, indeed--such stuff!" said Edward. "Ah, Eddard," said cook, turning upon him a languishing look, "if I have saved up forty-seven pound ten in the savings bank, I've a heart still, and know what it is for it to bleed when some one says a hard word to me." The housemaid sniffed. "I'm a going on," said Edward, who was evidently moved by the culinary lady's remarks. "`Drive you,' says Mr Vining, `to speak! Why, stay!' he says excitedly, as if a thought had struck him. `Why, yes; I'm sure of it. My father has been here to-day.' "`He has,' says missus solemnly. "`It was cowardly and cruel!' cries Mr Vining, quite shouting now, for his monkey was evidently up. `And pray, madam, what is the result of his visit? There, I can answer it myself: Miss Bedford refuses to see me; you decline to receive me into your house.' "`Mr Vining,' says missus softly, and I could fancy that she took his hand, `I grieve for you, as I do for that suffering girl.' "`What!' cries Mr Vining, `is she ill? Let me--let me see her--only once--for a minute, dear Mrs Brandon! Pray--on my knees I beg it of you! You cannot be so cruel, so hardhearted, as to refuse!' And then I heard a loud sobbing wail as of a woman crying, and--There, I'm blest if I go on, if you will keep on snivelling. Why, blame the women, you're both on you at it!" "We--we--we--we--we're--only a-blowin' our noses," sobbed the housemaid. "Never see such noses!" growled Edward, who then continued: "Well, directly after, as if in a passion, Mr Vining says: "`Mrs Brandon, this is cruel and harsh. I left you last week with my hopes raised; to-day you dash them to the ground.' "`Mr Vining--Mr Vining!' she says softly.