"I would have seen her hung first."
Mr. Bennett made this plain statement with quite curious ferocity. Miss Welsh rubbed her eyes with the sleeve of what we will suppose, for courtesy's sake, was her nightdress.
"That makes nine of 'em," she said.
"That makes nine of them, as Hannah says. Hannah, Mr. Bennett, is a woman of experience. She has had nine promises of marriage, but not one of them came off. But I don't think, Hannah, that you ever had a promise from a burglar before?"
"Never before."
"Then, at least, that is a new experience, and a new experience is so precious. Is there any remark you would like to make, Hannah, appropriate to the occasion?"
For a moment it did not appear as though there were. Then it seemed that there at least was one.
"I should like to scratch his eyes out," observed the damsel--ætat forty-five or so.
Miss Cecilia smiled. Mr. Bennett immediately smiled too. But there was this difference--that while the lady's smile was a thing of beauty, the gentleman's was a peculiar ghastly grin.
Miss Jones remarked Mr. Bennett's facial contortions with an appearance of considerable interest.