“And how about the parish doctor? What are we to do without him?”
“You won’t want him. I expect you will all pay your own doctor, or have a club doctor, or something of that sort.”
“And do you think Mr. Knight will allow any fun?”
“What nonsense! Of course he will want you to be as merry as possible. Do you suppose he wants to make you miserable? Does he look like it now?”
“Will he allow dancing?”
“He will allow everything that is right. Why, you haven’t begun to dream of the good times that are in store for you.”
But the people, even those who were willing, were anxious about ways and means.
“What are we to do for furniture, Basket Woman? Ours looks a deal better since you’ve ’namelled it, or whatever ’tis you’ve done. But most on ’em are poor bits of things, and can’t be made naught else. They do very well when we’ve only got a room, or, at most, two, to put ’em in; but they won’t look nothing at all in a house; and I should be ashamed to turn mine out for all the neighbours to see how poor they be, and how few there is on ’em—I’d sooner not go at all.”
“Yes, so would I,” said another. “And, besides, most of the furniture in this Grove ain’t none too clean, and he won’t like it, I reckon, if we takes all sorts of things down there with us.”
“No; that I am sure he will not,” replied the Basket Woman, who wondered if Mr. Knight had the least idea of half of the details involved in his scheme. “Shall I see Mr. Knight for you, and explain your difficulties, and discover what he can suggest? Will you send me to him as your deputation?”