Australian Tales - Setis

the chemist,” interrupted Mrs. Budge, opening the door, without
knocking.
“Yes, yes, all right, lots of scent; I shall smell like a nosegay on Friday.
Bring them in, Mrs. Budge. Let me see, I think I'll put them on a shelf in
my wardrobe for the present,” said Jabez, who forthwith began to stow
away sundry bottles of perfumery, and a large gallipot full of pomatum,
which Mr. Lint had specially prepared and warranted it would make hair
grow on Jabez's bald head, and turn his grey beard dark brown. “Excuse
me for neglecting you, Grouts, but you see I am up to my neck in
confusion. I wish you would come and see me this day fortnight, and
stay a long while: I shall be calm as a dish of cream then, and we can talk
over things comfortably. Say you will come, and bring Mrs. Grouts with
you. Hoy, Mrs. Budge! stop the boy! he has left a bottle of soothing
mixture for Mrs. Fitz, over the way.” Jabez hobbled out of the room with
the mis-sent bottle, and while he was gone Mr. Grouts glanced over the
perfumery on the shelf, especially noticing the pomatum pot, which was
without a label.
“I don't want to hinder you,” said Mr. Grouts, as Jabez returned
breathless and faint, after his exertion of running to the front door, “but I
was going to remark, when your housekeeper disturbed us, that if you
love Kitty as I believe you do, you may prove the disinterestedness of
your love, and do a noble action for which she will ever venerate you.
This is the plan I would suggest: Take a cottage for her, furnish it with
some of the superfluous things that you have recently bought, and give
her away to some deserving young fellow, who will make her happy
— in short, adopt her as your daughter. You have neither kith nor kin in
the land, and you have more money than you can reasonably spend on
yourself. Take my advice, Jabez, and you will rejoice over it by-and-bye,
and the girl will rejoice too. You may live to have many merry romping
games with your adopted grand-children, and — — ”
“Pshaw! get out Grouts! what nonsense you talk,” said Jabez, sharply.
“The girl would break her heart if I jilted her in that underhand way, poor
little bird! give her away to some deserving young fellow, indeed!
poogh, I won't. Besides, where will I find one more deserving of her than
myself? I love her, and she loves me; that's a mutually admitted fact, and
I won't allow anybody but grim Death himself to separate us — that's the
way to say it. Excuse me for getting warm,” added Jabez, relaxing into a
grin, “but you are too late with your advice, my boy. My honour and
happiness are at stake. I must be married on Friday: ho, ho, ho! I must
have a wife, for my feet get very cold on winter nights; very cold indeed;
but Kitty will be twice as good as my water bottle, or a hot brick, ho, ho,
ho!”
“Now go home, Grouts, there's a good fellow; don't bother me any
more, for I want to look to my linen. Hoy! Mrs. Budge, bring me a flat