“Oh! You—you haven’t disturbed Mrs. Merillia with them, I hope,” he rejoined.
“No, sir, indeed. Gustavus said your orders was that they was to be shown quietly to the library.”
“Exactly.”
“I begged them to walk a-tiptoe, sir.”
“What?” ejaculated the Prophet.
“I informed them there was illness in the house, sir.”
“And did they—er—?”
“The male person got on his toes at once, sir, but the female person shrieks out, ‘Is it catching? Ho! Think of—of Capericornopus,’ sir, or something to that effect.”
“Tch! Tch!”
“I took the liberty to say, sir, that ankles was not catching, and that I would certainly think of Capericornopus if she would but walk a-tiptoe.”