Gretel came over to the window, and looked out. The usually quiet bay seemed transformed into a seething turmoil of waves and foam.
“The Baltimore boat is getting up steam,” she remarked with interest; “I don’t suppose many people will go on her to-night.”
“Well, I pity them that does,” returned Higgins, solemnly; “I’ve been in a storm at sea, and know the danger.”
“Were you shipwrecked?” inquired Gretel, eagerly. “The twins have been reading a most exciting book about a shipwreck.”
“No, we wasn’t, but we hexpected to be hevery minute,” answered Higgins. “It was a hexperience folks don’t forget when they’ve once ’ad it. Where’s Mr. Douane this afternoon?”
“Gone to Hampton to a concert with Miss Heath. Miss Heath asked me to stay with Jerry and Geraldine, but they don’t want me. They told me to go home.”
“Indeed! but what can one hexpect from children brought up as they are, let run wild from morning till night. ’Ow a sweet young lady like that Miss ’Eath can put up with them beats me, but it won’t be for long, I’m thinking; there’s something in the wind.”
“What’s in the wind?” Gretel asked, as a severer gust than usual rattled the windows.
“Never you mind; it ain’t a subject as young ladies of your age should talk about. I know what’s proper for young ladies, ’aving lived in the best families of the Henglish haristocracy. When I was at Sir Cecil Marlow’s—where I lived two years before going to Lord Carresford’s—’er ladyship was very particular that Miss Sylvia and Miss Muriel should never ’ear anything in the way of gossip, and quite right she was, too. The knowingness of these Hamerican children is enough to make your blood run cold sometimes. There never was two sweeter or better brought up young ladies that Miss Sylvia and Miss Muriel.” And Higgins launched forth into a long story about these two paragons of the British aristocracy, which was so interesting that Gretel forgot to wonder what was “in the wind,” and why she was not to know about it.
Higgins now proved a most interesting companion. It is always interesting to hear about people who live in castles, with parks and hunting-lodges thrown in, and in listening to the English woman’s stories, the afternoon slipped away very pleasantly. By and by, however, Higgins went down-stairs to her tea, and then Gretel noticed for the first time how the wind was howling, and the rain dashing against the window panes.