"Hush!" said Ellen. The door opened, and the lady herself walked in, followed by three others large, tall women, muffled from head to foot against the cold. The quiet kitchen was speedily changed into a scene of bustle. Loud talking and laughing a vast deal of unrobing pushing back and pulling up chairs on the hearth and Nancy and Ellen running in and out of the room with countless wrappers, cloaks, shawls, comforters, hoods, mittens, and moccasins.
"What a precious muss it will be to get 'em all their own things when they come to go away again," said Nancy. "Throw 'em all down there, Ellen, in that heap. Now, come quick somebody else'll be here directly."
"Which is Miss Mimy?" said Ellen.
"That big ugly woman in a purple frock. The one next her is
Kitty the black-haired one is Mary, and t'other is Fanny.
Ugh! don't look at 'em; I can't bear 'em."
"Why?"
" 'Cause I don't, I can tell you; reason good. They are as stingy as they can live. Their way is to get as much as they can out of other folks, and let other folks get as little as they can out of them. I know 'em. Just watch that purple frock when it comes to the eating. There's Mr. Bob."
"Mr. who?"
"Bob Bob Lawson. He's a precious small young man, for such a big one. There go take his hat. Miss Fortune," said Nancy, coming forward, "mayn't the gentlemen take care of their own things in the stoop, or must the young ladies wait upon them, too? t'other room won't hold everything neither."
This speech raised a general laugh, in the midst of which Mr. Bob carried his own hat and cloak into the shed, as desired. Before Nancy had done chuckling came another arrival a tall, lank gentleman, with one of those unhappy-shaped faces that are very broad at the eyes and very narrow across the chops, and having a particularly grave and dull expression. He was welcomed with such a shout of mingled laughter, greeting, and jesting, that the room was in a complete hurly-burly; and a plain-looking, stout, elderly lady, who had come in just behind him, was suffered to stand unnoticed.
"It's Miss Janet," whispered Nancy "Mr. Marshchalk's aunt. Nobody wants to see her here; she's one of your pious kind, and that's a kind your aunt don't take to."