"  Pardon  me,  Miss'r  Witteriy,"  he  said,  "  but  why  is  zat  so
odd  zat  ze  vair  fine  distimguS  ladee  sail  iof  Miss'r  Harrinton  ?
Ah,  Miss'r  Witteriy,  you  make  one  vair  big  mistake.  Yon
zink  ze  pretty  girl  all  so  fond  of  ze  dollau- — ze  rank — ze  grand  ,
posetion,  eh  ^  Bah — no  1  I  tell  you,  no.  Ze  duch-ess— ze
countress — ze  great  vair  fine  ladee — zey  Iof  so  offen  ze  wit,  ze
brave  heart,  ze  gallantree,  ze  goodness  wis  ze  old  coat  over
him.  Oaf!  Look  now.  Attend  Was  I  great  vair  fine
ladee,  what  sail  I  do  wis  myself  ?  I  teil  you.  I  see  MLis'r
Harrington  !of  me.  I  make  vair  sure.  Zen  I  say — Iiere,  you
brave,  good  man,  so  kind,  so  handsome,  so  gallant,  so  Uke  aa


o.led  by  Google


°"  HAEiiraOTON,

superb  chevalier  of  as  old  time— look— I  lof  you  !  I  lof  you
wis  you  old  coat !  I  lof  you  old  coat,  too,  for  it  covair  you
BO  long.  Come— I  mairy  yoa— you  take  my  fine  Louse— my
doUaii^-you  take  me— all,  for  evair  and  evair.  Sacrebleu,
Miss'r  "Wittedy,  zat  ia  what  I  say  to  Miss'r  Harriu'ton  was  I
vair  fine  ladee,"

To  this  outburst,  which  was  deliyered  with  great  vivacity
and  many  shrugs,  grimaces,  and  odd  gesticulations,  Witherlee
listened  with  opaque  eyes  and  parted  lips,  and  an  expression
of  perfect  immobility  on  his  coloriess,  plump,  morbid  counte-
nance. At  the  end,  he  lifted  his  expressive  eyebi-ows,
slightly  curled  a  eontumehons  nose,  and  curved  a  supercilious
lip,  with  an  insolence  at  once  so  delicate  and  so  intense,  that
Monsieur  Bagasse,  with  the  most  suave  smile  again  on  his
uncouth  visage,  felt  a  strong  desire  to  deal  him  a  thumpmg
French  kick  under  the  chm.
