“Bob, what is the matter with Miss Brand? have you any idea?”
He looked curiously at me for a moment, and then said:
“Matter? Nothing, as I knows on. What should be the matter with the little dearie?”
“Nothing should be the matter with her,” I answered, rather tartly perhaps; “but she seemed unusually silent and unlike herself last night: and, as you seem pretty deep in her confidence, I thought you might know the cause.”
“Ay, ay,” he returned; “she do speak pretty free to me, I’ll allow; which I accounts for by my being an old man—at least, she seems to think me so, if I may judge by what she said yesterday; and as to knowing the cause of her being out of sorts like, perhaps I do, and perhaps I don’t. I has my suspicions, and pretty strong ones they be, too; but it ain’t for the likes of me to say a word. Axe no questions, Harry, my lad, but just leave things to work theirselves out; she’ll be all right again shortly, you take my word for it.”
“Is she ill, do you think, Bob?” I inquired in some anxiety.
“Ill? do she look like it?” queried he with a loud laugh. “No, no, she’s well enough; but women’s most oncommon difficult to understand, boy; and the only way is to let ’em alone and take no notice when they seems queer. Now, don’t axe me no questions, for I don’t know anything about it, and what I guess I ain’t going to tell.”
What the old fellow surmised it was quits impossible for me to imagine, and equally impossible to extract from him, for he was as stubborn as a mule, and if he made up his mind to a certain course, nothing earthly had the power of turning him from it; so, with the unpleasant sensation that there was a mystery somewhere, I was obliged to hold my tongue and console myself with the reflection that, at all events, it could be nothing which concerned me personally.
Shortly after the conversation Ella made her appearance at the head of the companion-ladder, and, bidding us both a cheery “Good-morning,” summoned me to breakfast.
As soon as the coffee was poured out, and we had fairly commenced the meal, she said: