"A gentleman to see me? Joseph Brown,—I don't know the name. What does he want?"
"Wants to gossip and give a small order, I should say," said George.
"I suppose you may send him in," said Miss Fairbrother, abstractedly, feasting her eyes upon a square figured watered silk. "Is he a nice man?"
"Harmless," said George; "but probably a talker. He's been dealing here thirty years. Old acquaintance, he says."
"Oh!" said Miss Fairbrother, looking up, "what else did he say?"
The ghost of a smile lit up George's face.
"Said he knew you when you were—so high." He gave a guess at the height of a two-year-old girl.
Against her will, Miss Fairbrother's face flushed. She looked doubtfully at the door, then at the patterns, and said—
"Please say I'm very busy. Perhaps you can settle the matter yourself; I really am busy, you know," and she pulled a fresh box of patterns from under the desk, and spread them out before her.
After some trouble George convinced Joseph Brown that the four customers inside would occupy Miss Fairbrother's attention for at least two hours, and advised him to call again.