“My thick walking-shoes. I’m quite sure that I had them in my hand a minute ago.”
“Ho! ma’am,” exclaimed Mrs Niven suddenly, “if you aren’t bin an’ put ’em into your bonnet-box among the caps.”
“Well now, that is odd. Put them into the bag, Niven. Well, as I was saying—where was I?”
“You was goin’ to tell me why you are goin’ to your brother, ma’am,” observed the housekeeper.
“Ah! to be sure; well then—. But you must never mention it, Niven.”
Miss Peppy said this with much solemnity, as if she were administering an oath.
“On my honour, ma’am; trust me. I never mentions hanythink.”
Mrs Niven said this as though she wondered that the supposition could have entered into Miss Peppy’s head for a moment, that she, (Mrs Niven), could, would, or should tell anything to anybody.
“Well then, you must know,” resumed Miss Peppy, with a cautious glance round the room, “my brother-in-law, Colonel Crusty, who lives in the town of Athenbury, is a military man—”
“So I should suppose, ma’am,” observed Mrs Niven, “he being called Kurnel, w’ich is an army name.”