“Nonsense, you silly man; any tea you like,” said fat Mrs. Van.
“What do you say, then, to some prime GUNPOWDER?” Of course they said it was the very thing.
“And do you like hot rowls or cowld—muffins or crumpets—fresh butter or salt? And you, gentlemen, what do you say to some ilegant divvled-kidneys for yourselves, and just a trifle of grilled turkeys, and a couple of hundthred new-laid eggs for the ladies?”
“Pooh, pooh! be it as you will, my dear fellow,” answered they all.
“But stop,” says I. “O ladies, O ladies: O gentlemen, gentlemen, that you should ever have come to the quarters of Goliah Gahagan, and he been without—”
“What?” said they, in a breath.
“Alas I alas! I have not got a single stick of chocolate in the whole house.”
“Well, well, we can do without it.”
“Or a single pound of coffee.”
“Never mind; let that pass too.” (Mrs. Van and the rest were beginning to look alarmed.)