"'Somethin' to tell you. You better come up here. Somethin' serious.'
"I speculated if it could be any misdeed of mine he had come over about. But my conscience was fairly clear.
"'Now whatever can it be?' asked my father.
"'You better go up and arst 'im,' my mother suggested.
"My father went.
"I heard my uncle say something about, 'We're busted. We've bin give away and we're busted,' and then the door into the shop closed. We all listened to the movements above. It sounded as though Uncle Julip was walking up and down as he talked. My sister Fanny in her hat and jacket flitted unobtrusively up the stairs and out. After a time Prue came in; she had been helping teacher tidy up, she said, though I knew better. Then after a long interval my father came downstairs alone.
"He went to the hearthrug like one in a trance and stood, staring portentously in order to make my mother ask what was the matter. 'Why hasn't John come down for a bit of tea or something? Where's he gone, Morty?'
"''E's gorn for a van,' said my father; 'that's where 'e's gone. For a van.'
"'Whatever for?' asked my mother.
"'For a removal,' said my father. 'That's what for.'