As the two ladies “poked about” the apartment, each seemed to find especial delight in dragging the other to witness some fresh evidence of filth or foppery that she had just discovered; and while they were thus agreeably engaged, speaking in whispers to one another, Mrs. Sandboys, who had ventured to stray further into the depths of the apartment than the more cautious Mrs. Wewitz, had almost reached the end of the chamber, when, to her horror, she discovered some one fast asleep in one of the beds. All that was visible above the clothes was the upper part of a head, profusely done up in curl papers.
Mrs. Sandboys no sooner caught sight of the “crackers,” than, breathless with indignation, she hurried back, on tiptoe, to her companion, and whispered in her ear, “My dear, there’s a woman in one of the beds!”
“A wo——!” Mrs. Wewitz was about to scream, when Aggy placed her hand on the lady’s mouth.
“Yes, a woman, my love! I tell tha I saw her curl-papers,” ejaculated Mrs. Sandboys, in a subdued tone of the deepest horror.
“The wretches!” cried Mrs. Wewitz, “they’ll be the ruin of us all—they will; but I’ll soon have the hussy out!” and so saying she hurried towards the bed which Mrs. Sandboys had indicated; and seizing the sleeper by the shoulders, began shaking the individual violently.
The suddenness and severity of the agitation roused the slumberer, when lifting his head up from under the clothes, he displayed to the terrified ladies a huge beard and pair of mustachios.
“Its a brute of a man, after all!” screamed Mrs. Wewitz, as she let go the shoulders of the hirsute Parisian.
“Goodness, gracious!” shrieked Mrs. Sandboys, and away they both scampered out of the apartment.
As they hastened back to their sitting-room, they met Ann Lightfoot on one of the landings, and communicating to her what had happened, the girl begged to know whether the man’s beard was red?
On being answered in the affirmative, she told the horror-stricken Mrs. Sandboys that it was the same man as had run after her the other night, and who assured her yesterday that he only wished he could have caught her; he’d have served her out finely.