"Why, you can't be comfortable without them," he would answer. "But that's not the question, John. We _must_ take cheaper lodgings, mustn't we?" Then John would be silent, and by littles their gayety would rise again. One landlady was so good-looking, so manifestly and entirely Caucasian, so melodious of voice, and so modest in her account of the rooms she showed, that Mrs. Richling was captivated. The back room on the second floor, overlooking the inner court and numerous low roofs beyond, was suitable and cheap. "Yes," said the sweet proprietress, turning to Richling, who hung in doubt whether it was quite good enough, "yesseh, I think you be pretty well in that room yeh.[1] Yesseh, I'm shoe you be _verrie_ well; yesseh." [1] "Yeh"--_ye_, as in _yearn_. "Can we get them at once?" "Yes? At once? Yes? Oh, yes?" No downward inflections from her. "Well,"--the wife looked at the husband; he nodded,--"well, we'll take it." "Yes?" responded the landlady; "well?" leaning against a bedpost and smiling with infantile diffidence, "you dunt want no ref'ence?" "No," said John, generously, "oh, no; we can trust each other that far, eh?" "Oh, yes?" replied the sweet creature; then suddenly changing countenance, as though she remembered something. "But daz de troub'--de room not goin' be vacate for t'ree mont'." She stretched forth her open palms and smiled, with one arm still around the bedpost. "Why," exclaimed Mrs. Richling, the very statue of astonishment, "you said just now we could have it at once!" "Dis room? _Oh_, no; nod _dis_ room." "I don't see how I could have misunderstood you." The landlady lifted her shoulders, smiled, and clasped her hands across each other under her throat. Then throwing them apart she said brightly:-- "No, I say at Madame La Rose. Me, my room is all fill'. At Madame La Rose, I say, I think you be pritty well. I'm shoe you be verrie well at Madame La Rose. I'm sorry. But you kin paz yondeh--'tiz juz ad the cawneh? And I am shoe I think you be pritty well at Madame La Rose." She kept up the repetition, though Mrs. Richling, incensed, had turned her back, and Richling was saying good-day. "She did say the room was vacant!" exclaimed the little wife, as they reached the sidewalk. But the next moment there came a quick twinkle from her eye, and, waving her husband to go on without her, she said, "You kin paz yondeh; at Madame La Rose I am shoe you be pritty sick." Thereupon she took his arm,--making everybody stare and smile to see a lady and gentleman arm in arm by daylight,--and they went merrily on their way.