The chap he kinder eyed me askew. Fust he took a squint at my puffy trousers, then at old bell crown, and then at me all over.
"You can't be the gentleman that she told me to let in," sez he; "does Miss Sneers expect you?"
"Wal, I kinder reckon she does," sez I.
"Wal," sez the feller, lookin sort o' unsartain, "jest step intu this room and I'll go and see."
"That's a leetle more like folks," sez I, a followin the chap intu a room at one eend of the entry-way, where I sot down with old bell crown over my knees, and took a squint round. It was kinder dark, for them between slats shut out the light; but I could see that the room hadn't been fixed up since over night. Two of the chairs lay keeled up on the carpet—the kiver was a slidin off from the table a'most tu the carpet, and slopped over with wine that wasn't dry yit—a decanter with a trifle o' wine, or per'aps brandy, stood on the table where the cloth had left it bare, and an allfired purty wine glass lay on the harnsome carpet broke to smash; and round under the table and close around my chair was a hull squad of playin cards, a'most new, as if somebody had got beat a playin high-low-jack and the game, and flung the hull bilin down in a huff. I'd jest picked up two or three of the cards, when the yaller nigger turned back and sez he—
"It aint of no use—I can't tell my mistress who wants tu see her, if you wont give me your name, or a card."
"Wal," sez I, "if you must have one or t'other, there's a card—now git out, and don't let me see that consarned yaller face agin till it's wanted."
With that I handed over the jack-o'-spades; he turned his great sarser eyes, fust on the leetle feller that sot stuck up on the card, and then agin at me, as if he didn't know what tu make on't. There was no satisfy in him, I could see that, but I'd begun to get tired o' waitin, and sez I,
"Wal, there's the card, and a harnsome one tu—my name is Jonathan Slick of Weathersfield—my father is a Squire and a Deacon of the Church—my mother was Jerusha Pettebone—my —— but darn me, if you aint satisfied now, you consarned pryin shote, you may go tu grass, and the harnsome gal with you."