“Violet is a very beautiful name,” said Gretel, politely. “I never knew any one named Violet before, but I’ve read it in books.”
“You never read about a Violet ’Iggins, though, did you?” inquired Higgins, rather grimly. And Gretel was forced to admit that she had not.
“I’ll call you Violet if you would like to have me,” she said, eagerly. “I needn’t do it before people if you prefer Higgins, but I should think you would like to have somebody intimate enough with you to call you by your first name. I should hate to have everybody call me Schiller.”
“It’s very kind of you, I’m sure, miss,” said Higgins, who was still looking somewhat embarrassed, “but hif you don’t mind, I think I’d just as soon be ’Iggins. You see, nobody ever did call me Violet. My mother thought hit was too grand a name to use without a miss before it, so she shortened it to Sally. I was halways called Sally at ’ome, but since I’ve been in service I’ve halways stipulated that I should be called ’Iggins.”
Gretel was a little disappointed. She really liked Higgins, and was anxious to be friends with her, but it did not seem possible to become very intimate with a person who must always be addressed by her last name. But at that moment she caught sight of her brother approaching her, accompanied by a lady and gentleman.
“Oh, look, Higgins,” she exclaimed, eagerly, “here comes Percy, and he’s talking to the father and mother of those children we saw at the fort yesterday. You know the little boy and girl we thought must be twins, they looked so much alike.”
“I remember,” said Higgins, disapprovingly, “and very hill-mannered children they was, too. There they are now, hout on the very hend of the pier; they’ll be tumbling into the water and getting themselves drowned the next thing.”
At that moment Mr. Douane reached his little sister’s side, and stopped to speak to her.
“Gretel,” he said, “I have met some old friends, Mr. and Mrs. Barlow. I have been telling them about you, and they say they will be glad to have you make friends with their little daughter, who is about your age.”
Gretel rose and curtsied.