"Nobody there," sez he, "go up stairs, I'll settle the nigger if he gets obstropulous, and then follow arter." I went right up stairs, and was jest a knocking at the door of Miss Sneers' room, when I see that it was open a trifle; and as I gin a peak through, there was the chap that she called her brother shying out through the eend door--I jest gin a knock that sent the door a flyin open, and went in. Miss Sneers was settin on that silken bench, dressed out in a ruffled white frock, and with her hair twisted back in a hurry, and kinder tousled up with a gold chain in it, as if she hadn't touched it since the night afore. She jumped half up when she see me, and then settled down agin with her lips shet tight together, and a lookin hard in my eyes as if uncertain who it was. I walked right up to her and held out my hand, "How do you du this morning, Miss Sneers," sez I. She kinder leaned back, and lookin right straight in my eyes, sez she, "You must have mistook the room, sir, I do not usually receive company here." I swow, it seemed as if the critter had swallered a chunk of ice, she spoke so stiff and cold. I looked around the room a minit, and then I turned tu her agin, and sez I, "Look a here marm, you don't seem tu be over tickled tu see me this morning, so I'll make myself scarce the minit you'll give me a chance tu see that brother of yourn." "You are laborin under another mistake," sez she, as frosty as ever. "My brother is not in the house." "Perhaps you'll tell me by-am-by that I mustn't believe my own eyes," sez I a getting wrothy. "Jest ask that mean shote to come out of the other room there--I saw him sneak off with my own eyes not three minutes ago." She turned a trifle red when I talked up to her so, and arter chokin a second, sez she, as cool as a cowcumber, sez she, "Not my brother, you did not see my brother, he is my husband, sir." I felt the blood bile in my veins and my face seemed afire. "Your husband marm?" sez I, a getting up a laugh that eended off in a savage grin, "and so you're, you're,"-- "His wife sir," sez she, with a cold tarntalisin smile, "and now, as I am particularly engaged, perhaps you will leave the house." "Not jest yet," sez Captin Doolittle, a bolting intu the room. "We've got some business with that husband of your'n, marm." "And who are you sir?" sez the woman a turnin white as curd and sittin down half scared tu death. "I don't know as that is any consarn of your'n," sez he, a hauling a piece of paper folded up square from his pocket. "I want that swindlin scamp that you call husband, and its my opinion that he and I get better acquainted afore I leave these ere premises." I never see a poor critter wilt down as she did, her face was as white as snow, so was her mouth, and I could see it begin tu tremble all she could du to help it.