'What are you thinkin' about?'
'Jes' you wait till I know myself, and I'll tell ye.'
Christopher was silent, watching from time to time his spouse, who seemed to be going on with her supper in orderly fashion. Mr. Bounder was not misled by this, and watched curiously. He had acquired in a few months a large respect for his wife. Her very unadorned attire, and her peculiar way of knotting up her hair, did not hinder that he had a great and growing value for her. Christopher would have liked her certainly to dress better and to put on a cap; nevertheless, and odd as it may seem, he was learning to be proud of his very independent wife, and even boasted to his sister that she was a 'character.' Now he waited for what was to come next.
'I guess I was a fool,' began Mrs. Bounder at last. 'But it came into my head, ef they're in such a fix as you say, whether maybe they wouldn't take up with my house. I guess, hardly likely.'
'Your house?' inquired Christopher, in astonishment. But his wife calmly nodded.
'Your house!' repeated Christopher. 'Which one?'
'Wall, not this one, I guess,' said his wife quietly. 'But I've got one in town.'
'A house in town! Why, I never heard of it before.'
'No, 'cause it's been standin' empty for a spell back, doin' nothin'. Ef there had been rent comin' in, I guess you'd have heard of it. But the last folks went out; and I hadn't found no one that suited me to let hev it.'
'Would it do for the colonel and Miss Esther?'