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A SHABBY GENTEEL STORY 35
her weeping there, weeping tears more bitter than any of the many
she had shed in the course of her life. Down she went to the
kitchen, and when she reached that humble place of refuge, first
pulled at her neck and made as if she would take off Becky's collar
and brooch, and then flung herself into the arms of that honest
scullion, where she cried and cried till she brought on the first fit
of hysterics that ever she had had.
This crying could not at first be heard in the parlour, where the
young ladies, Mrs. Gann, Mr. Gann, and his friend from the " Bag
of Nails " were roaring at the excellence of the joke. Mr. Brandon,
sipping sherry, sat by, looking very sarcastically and slily from one
party to the other ; Mr. Fitch was staring about him too, but with
a very different expression, anger and wonder inflaming his bearded
countenance. At last, as the laughing died away and a faint voice
of weeping came from the kitchen below, Andrew could bear it no
longer, but bounced up from his chair and rushed out of the room
exclaiming—
" By Jove, it's too bad !"
" What docs the man mean ?" said Mrs. Gann.
He meant that he was from that moment over head and ears
in love with Caroline, and that he longed to beat, buffet, pummel,
thump, tear to pieces, those callous ruffians who so pitilessly laughed
at her.
"What's that chap wi' the beard in such tantrums about?"
said the gentleman from the " Bag of Nails."
Mr. Gann answered this query by some joke, intimating that
"per'aps Mr. Fitch's dinner did not agree with him," at which
these worthies roared again.
The young ladies said, " Well, now, upon my word !"
" Mighty genteel behaviour truly ! " cried mamma ; " but what
can you expect from the poor thing ?"
Brandon only sipped more sherry, but he looked at Fitch as the
latter flung out of the room, and his countenance was lighted up
by a more unequivocal smile.
These two little adventures were followed by a silence of some
few minutes, during which the meats remained on the table, and no
signs were shown of that pudding upon which poor Caroline had
exhausted her skill. The absence of this delicious part of the repast
was first remarked by Mr. Gann; and his lady, after jangling
at the bell for some time in vain, at last begged one of her daughters
to go and hasten matters.
"BECKY!" shrieked Miss Linda from the hall, but Becky
replied not. " Becky, are we to be kept waiting all day ?" con-