Miss Keeldar blushed, while she laughed at her own over-eager generosity and most disproportionate calculations. Moore laughed too, very quietly though; and as quietly he ordered basket after basket to be taken from the cart, and remanded vessel after vessel to the cellar.
"The rector must hear of this," he said; "he will make a good story of it. What an excellent army contractor Miss Keeldar would have been!" Again he laughed, adding, "It is precisely as I conjectured."
"You ought to be thankful," said Shirley, "and not mock me. What could I do? How could I gauge your appetites or number your band? For aught I knew, there might have been fifty of you at least to victual. You told me nothing; and then an application to provision soldiers naturally suggests large ideas."

Miss Keeldar blushed, while she laughed at her own over-eager generosity. Moore laughed too, though quietly; and ordered baskets to be removed from the cart, and vessels returned to the cellar.
"The rector must hear of this," he said; "he will make a good story of it. What an excellent army contractor Miss Keeldar would have been!"
"You ought to be thankful," said Shirley, "and not mock me. How could I gauge your appetites or number your band? For aught I knew, there might have been fifty of you. You told me nothing; and an application to provision soldiers naturally suggests large numbers."
