Its cleening day. Nobody but a dummed eediot wud put the desateful
looking matting down on dacint flures. The doost and dirt finds a
natchell place to settle down betwane the cracks. As I was rubbing it
over wid a damp cloth in Mr. Wolley’s stoody he came in wid the male. In
wan hand he held a grate boonch of letters, in the other one ploomp fine
looking litter by itsilf. He looks queer.
“Has Mr. James gone to town yet?” he asks.
“No sir” ses I. “Its riting at home he is to-day. He’s in his room,
sir.”
“Ah!” ses the auld gintleman, and joost thin Miss Claire cum into the
room.
Her cheeks are flooshed and she looks excited and ankshus.
“You have a letter for me papa, havent you?” ses she.
The auld gintleman had throost the fat letter hastily into his pocket.
As Miss Claire spoke he now fussed over the boonch in his uther hand.
“Let me see” ses he, going over thim, “No—theres nuthing my deer” ses
he.
She seemed so disappoynted that for a moment she joost stared at the
auld gintleman. Then she ses gintly:
“Papa, wasnt there an English male in yisterday?”
“I belave there was” ses he.
She put out her hand impetchussly and ses she:
“Let _me_ see, papa?”
She wint over the letters wan be wan. She picked out wan little roll,
and she ses:
“Nothing—nothing at all for me—ixcipt this.” Thin she wint out from the
room suddintly.
The auld gintleman looked after her wid a look fool of compashun and
guilt. Then he sneeked out of the room.
“You auld divil!” ses I to mesilf, “Its a letter ye’ve got in your
pockit for Miss Claire, and the puir thing shull have it if I have to
turn thafe to get it for her.”
Wid that I wint after the auld rascal. I hurd the dure of Mr. James’s
room shut, and I wint into the bathroom adjyning, and wid wan eer to the
dure I lissened.
“James——” ses Mr. Wolley stipping in.
“What the——” began Mr. James and I herd him hopping up in his seet. “I’m
bizzy father” ses he. “I must get out this artuckle at latest by noon
to-day” ses he “What is it? What is it?”
“James” ses Mr. Wolley, “I’m afrade yure sister——”
“For hivin’s sake father” ses the lad “hoory up. Jest what is it?”
There was silinse for a moment, juring which I knowed from instink Mr.
Wolley had tuk out Miss Claire’s litter and shown it to his son. I
prissed up close aginst the dure, but the key was inside and I cud see
not a thing. Then I herd Mr. Wolley say:
“You see it is as we feered. They are corry——”
“Hauld on!” ses Mr. James lowering his voyce, and again there followed a
sylinse. Suddintly the dure flew open and I fell upon me face into the
room. Mr. James saized me by the neck of me gown and hauled me oop.
“Delia!” ses he, “ef I ever catch you at sich a thrick again, I’ll—I’ll
throw you out of the winder” ses he. “Now git!” ses he, and I sloonk aff
in shame.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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