Mrs. Banks pursed up her lips and nodded darkly.
“Pretends to come and see me,” said Mrs. Banks; “always coming in bringing something new for my legs. The worst of it is he ain’t always careful what he brings. He brought some new-fangled stuff in a bottle last week, and the agonies I suffered after rubbing it in wouldn’t be believed.”
“It’s like his impudence,” said the Captain.
“I’ve been thinking,” said Mrs. Banks, nodding her head with some animation, “of giving Fred a little surprise. What do you think he’d do if I said they might marry this autumn?”
“Jump out of his skin with joy,” said Captain Barber, with conviction. “Mrs. Banks, the pleasure you’ve given me this day is more than I can say.”
“And they’ll live with you just the same?” said Mrs. Banks.
“Certainly,” said the Captain.
“They’ll only be a few doors off then,” said Mrs. Banks, “and it’ll be nice for you to have a woman in the house to look after you.”
Captain. Barber nodded softly. “It’s what I’ve been wanting for years,” he said, heartily.
“And that huss—husskeeper,” said Mrs. Banks, correcting herself—“will go?”