“May it please your honour, I’ve been thinking of bringing him up as a channel pilot,” replied my father.
“Very good,” replied Sir Hercules; “I can see to that; and with my interest at the Trinity Board, the thing is done, sir;” and Sir Hercules walked pompously about the room. “Saunders,” said Sir Hercules, stopping, after he had taken three or four turns up and down, and joining his fingers behind his back, “I thought I perceived some difference in you when you first addressed me. What has become of your tail, sir?”
“My tail, your honour?” replied my father, looking as much a delinquent as if he was still on board a man-of-war, and had been guilty of some misdemeanour, “why, please your honour Sir Hercules—”
“I cut it off for him with my scissors,” interrupted my mother, with a courtesy. “Saunders was very savage when he came for to know it; but he had a stupefaction of the brain, and was quite insensible at the time; and so, Sir Hercules and my lady” (here a courtesy), “I thought it was better—”
“Ah! I see,—a brain fever,” observed Sir Hercules. “Well, under these circumstances you may have saved his life; but ’twas a pity, was it not, my lady?—quite altered the man. You recollect his tail, my lady?”
“What a question, Sir Hercules!” replied her ladyship with great dignity, turning round towards my mother.
My father appeared to be quite relieved from his dilemma by his wife’s presence of mind, and really thankful to her for coming to his assistance; she had saved him from the mortification of telling the truth. How true it is that married people, however much they may quarrel, like to conceal their squabbles from the world!
“And what are you thinking of doing with your little girl?” said Lady Hercules—“bringing her up to service, I presume. Leave that to me: as soon as she is old enough, the thing is done, you need say no more about it.” Here her ladyship fell back in the large easy chair on which she was seated, with a self-satisfied air of patronage, and looking even more dignified than her husband.
But my mother had no such intentions, and having first thanked her ladyship for her great kindness, stated very humbly that she did not much like the idea of her daughter going out to service, that she was far from strong, and that her health would not allow her to undertake hard work.
“Well, but I presume she may do the work of a lady’s maid?” replied her ladyship haughtily; “and it was that service which I intended for her.”