‘Oh, you’ll get over it, sweetheart, you’ll get over it; it was only fun, you know. Come, let’s be going.’
‘But wait, wait! The situation, you know. I want to give you the situation,’ said my man.
‘Well,’ I said, ‘I’m just as grateful as I can be, but really I don’t want one.’
‘But you can have the very choicest one in my gift.’
‘Thanks again, with all my heart; but I don’t even want that one.’
‘Henry, I’m ashamed of you. You don’t half thank the good gentleman. May I do it for you?’
‘Indeed you shall, dear, if you can improve it. Let us see you try.’
She walked to my man, got up in his lap, put her arm round his neck, and kissed him right on the mouth. Then the two old gentlemen shouted with laughter, but I was dumfounded, just petrified, as you may say. Portia said:
‘Papa, he has said you haven’t a situation in your gift that he’d take; and I feel just as hurt as——’
‘My darling! is that your papa?’