"Which the Misses Ittlethwaite is a county fam'ly, Miss, livin' some
seven or eight miles from here as proud as proud, owin' to their
forebears 'avin' sworn death on Magnum Chartus for servin' of King
John--an' Miss Ittlethwaite proper, she be gettin' on in years, but
she's a great huntin' lady, an' come November is allus to be seen
follerin' the 'ounds, stickin' to the saddle wonderful for 'er size
an' time o' life, an' Miss Barbara, she doos a lot o' sick visitin',
an' Bible readin', not 'ere, for our people won't stand it, an'
Passon Walden ain't great on breakin' into private 'ouses without
owners' consents for Bible readin', but she, she's 'Igh, an' tramps
into Riversford near every day which the carrier's cart brings 'er
'ome to 'er own place they 'avin' given up a kerridge owin' to
spekylation in railways, an' Miss Hagnes she works lovely with 'er
needle, an' makes altar cloths an' vestis for Mr. Francis Anthony,
the 'Igh Church clergyman at Riversford, he not bein' married,
though myself I should say there worn't no chance for 'er, bein'
frightful skinny an' a bit off in 'er looks--an' Miss Christina she
do still play at bein' a baby like, she's the youngest, an' over
forty, yet quite a giddy in 'er way, wearin' ribbins round her
waist, an' if 'twarn't for 'er cheeks droppin' in long like, she
wouldn't look so bad, but they're all that proud--"
"That'll do, Spruce, that'll do!" cried Maryllia, putting her hands
to her ears--"No more Ittlethwaites, please, for the present!
Sufficient for the day is the Magnum Chartus thereof! Who comes
here?" and she read from another card,--"'Mrs. Mordaunt Appleby.'
Also a smaller label which says, 'Mr. Mordaunt Appleby'! More county
family pride or what?"
"Oh lor' no, Miss, Mordaunt Appleby's only the brewer of
Riversford," said Mrs. Spruce, casually. "He's got the biggest 'ouse
in the town, but people remembers 'im when he was a very shabby lot
indeed,-an awful shabby lot. HE ain't nobody, Miss-he's just got a
bit o' money which makes the commoner sort wag tails for 'im, but
it's like his cheek to call 'ere at all. Sir Morton Pippitt, bein'
in. the bone-meltin' line, as 'im up to dine now an' agin, just to
keep in with 'im like, for he's a nasty temper, an' his wife's got
the longest and spitefullest tongue in all the neighbourhood. But
you needn't take up wi' them, Miss-they ain't in your line,-which
some brewers is gentlemen, an' Appleby ain't--YOUR Pa wouldn't never
know HIS Pa."
"Then that's settled!" said Maryllia, with a sigh of relief.
"Depart, Mordaunt Applebys into the limbo of forgotten callers!"-and
she tossed the cards aside-"Here are the Pippitt names,-I small
remember them all right-Pip-pitt and Ittlethwaite have a tendency to
raise blisters of memory on the brain. What is this neat looking
little bit of pasteboard-' The Rev. John Walden.' Yes!-he called two
or three days ago when I was out."
Mrs. Spruce sniffed a sniff of meaning, but said nothing.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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