“Do you hear the rain, Mr. Caudle? I say do you hear it? But I don't care--I 'll go to mother's to-morrow: I will; and what's more, I 'll walk every step of the way,--and you know that will give me my death. Don't call me a foolish woman--it's you that's the foolish man. You know can't wear clogs; and with no umbrella, that's sure to give me a cold--it always does. But what do you care for that? Nothing at all. I may be laid up for what you care, as I dare say I shall--and a pretty doctor's bill there 'll be. I hope there will! It will teach you to lend your umbrellas again I shouldn't wonder if I caught my death; yes: and that's what you lent the umbrella for. Of course. “Nice clothes, I shall get too, traipsing through weather like this. My gown and bonnet will be spoilt quite. Needn't I wear 'em then? Indeed, Mr. Caudle, I _shall_ wear 'em. No, sir, I'm not going out a dowdy to please you or anybody else. Gracious knows! it isn't often that I step over the threshold; indeed, I might as well be a slave at once,--better, I should say. But when I do go out, Mr. Caudle, I choose to go as a lady. Oh! that rain--if it isn't enough to break in the windows. “Ugh! I do look forward with dread for tomorrow. How I am to go to mother's I'm sure I can't tell. But if I die, I 'll do it. No, sir; I won't borrow an umbrella. No; and you shan't buy one. (_With great emphasis._) Mr. Caudle, if you bring home another umbrella, I 'll throw it in the street. I 'll have my own umbrella or none at all. “Ha! and it was only last week I had a new nozzle put to that umbrella. I'm sure if I'd have known as much as I do now, it might have gone without one for me. Paying for new nozzles, for other people to laugh at you. Oh, it's all very well for you--you can go to sleep. You've no thought of your poor patient wife, and your own dear children. You think of nothing but lending umbrellas! “Men, indeed!--Call themselves lords of the creation!--pretty lords when they can't take care of an umbrella! “I know that walk to-morrow will be the death of me. But that's what you want--then you may go to your club, and do as you like--and then, nicely my poor dear children will be used--but then, sir, then you 'll be happy. Oh, don't tell me! I know you will. Else you'd never have lent the umbrella! “You have to go on Thursday about that summons; and, of course, you can't go. No, indeed, you _don't_ go without the umbrella. You may lose the debt for what I care--it won't be so much as spoiling your clothes--better lose it: people deserve to lose debts who lend umbrellas. “And I should like to know how I'm to go to mother's without the umbrella? Oh, don't tell me that I said I _would_ go--that's nothing to do with it; nothing at all. She 'll think I'm neglecting her, and the little money we were to have, we shan't have at all--because we've no umbrella.