"I s'pose I'll have to," said Miss Gall, drily, after a short interval of sipping tea and helping herself to sweet-meats.
This lady had a pervading acidity of face and temper, but it was no more. To take her name as standing for a fair setting forth of her character would be highly injurious to a really respectable composition, which the world's neglect (there was no other imaginable cause) had soured a little.
Almost Fleda's first thought on coming home had been about Mr. Jolly. But she knew very well, without asking, that he had not been there; she would not touch the subject.
"I haven't had such a fine day of nutting in a great while, grandpa," she said again; "and you never saw such a good hand as Mr. Carleton is at whipping the trees."
"How came he to go with you?"
"I don't know; I suppose it was to please me, in the first place; but I am sure he enjoyed it himself; and he liked the pie and cheese, too, Cynthy."
"Where did your cousin go?"
"O, he went off after the woodcock. I hope he didn't find any."
"What do you think of those two young men, Fairy?"
"In what way, grandpa?"