“I say the housekeeper, Mrs. Brent, lives there.”
“Who? Her?” exclaimed Tubal, in such a tone of scornful denial that Gloria hastened to add:
“She does live there, does she not?”
“Ole mistress lib in Grippinwolf? Ooome! Yer better jes’ ax her to lib dere, dat’s all!”
“Then the housekeeper does not live in the house, if I understand you aright?” said Gloria, in unpleasant surprise.
“Hi, what I tell you, honey? Nobody can’t lib dere ’mong de dead people!”
“What nonsense you talk, old man. Some one must live there to take care of the house.”
“Well, den, dey don’t, young mist’ess, an’ I tell yer so good! De ghosts has ’jected everybody out ob dat house, and dey has had it all to deirselves dis twenty years or more.”
“Then my guardian has been completely deceived! He has been paying a salary to a housekeeper who has abandoned her duties. And if the house is deserted, as he says, what shall we do, David Lindsay?” inquired Gloria, in a tone of indignant distress and perplexity.
“Turn right roun’ an’ go straight back whar yer come from! You do dat while times is good. Dat’s de ’wice what I gibbed yer fust, an’ dat’s de ’wice what I gib yer last,” said Tubal, answering for his passenger.