“Good Heavens!”
“And the page—is my little brother.”
“Ha, ha, ha!”
“What, you are not angry?”
“Angry? no. Ha, ha, ha!”
“See what a hornets' nest you have escaped from. My dear friend, those two women rob me through thick and thin. They steal my handkerchiefs, and my gloves, and my very linen. They drink my wine like fishes. They'd take the hair off my head, if it wasn't fast by the roots—for a wonder.”
“Why not give them a ten-pound note and send them home?”
“They'd pocket the note, and blacken me in our village. That was why I had them up here. First time I went home, after running about with that little scamp, Vandeleur—do you know him?”
“I have not the honor.”
“Then your luck beats mine. One thing, he is going to the dogs as fast as he can. Some day he'll come begging to me for a fiver. You mark my words now.”