“The Company’s.”
“Blumpitty & Co.’s?”
“Yes, ma’am. Then there’s Miss Cremer. She’s a tailor—goes along to keep us mended up till our clo’es get wore out. Then she’ll make us noo things. Mrs. Blumpitty had to do it all last year. Pretty heavy fur a little woman no bigger’n—”
“The baker’s wife and the tailoress, that makes two besides Mrs. Blumpitty.”
“Yes, ma’am. An’ there’s Miss Estelle Maris. Very nice young lady. She says she can cook.” He sighed, and then recovered himself. “Even if she can’t, Mrs. Blumpitty can. Yes”—he allowed a pale eye to wander toward Miss Mar—“we got very nice ladies along, and I mean ’em all to have claims.”
Mrs. Mar glinted at him, as much as to say, “Oh, that’s the bait—poor wretches!”
“It’ll be very nice for them,” said Hildegarde a little hurriedly.
“How do you expect them to get claims?” asked Mrs. Mar with severity.
“The Company’s got some valyerble property up on Glaysher Crick.”
“What company has?”