The young people then began to congratulate themselves on their success as regarded Miss Crampton.
"She scarcely stayed five minutes, and she was so afraid of the machine, and so shocked at the whittling and the talk, and Cray's whole appearance, that she will not come near us while he is here. After that, the stair-rods will protect us."
"No," said Crayshaw, "but it's no stimulus to my genius to have to talk Yankee to such ignorant people. I might mix up North, South, and West as I liked, and you would be none the wiser. However, if she chances to hear me speak a week hence, she'll believe that my accent has entirely peeled off. I thought I'd better provide against that probability. It was an invention worthy of a poet, which I am."
"Que les poètes thoient pendus," said Augustus John, with vigour and sincerity. "Ekthepting Homer and Tennython," he added, as if willing to be just to all men.
"What for? they've done nothing to you."
"Haven't they! But for them I need not watht my life in making Latin vertheth. The fighting, though, in Homer and Tennython I like."
In the meantime the four younger children were whispering together over a large paper parcel, that crackled a good deal.
"Which do you think is the grandest word?" said Bertram.
"I fallacious, Janie."
"But you said you would put umbrageous," observed Hugh, in a discontented tone.