\"Please,Cap’nVye,willyouletus————\"
Eustaciaaroseandwenttothedoor。\"Icannotallowyoutocomeinsoboldly。Youshouldhavewaited。\"
\"Thecap’nsaidImightcomeinwithoutanyfuss,\"
wasansweredinalad’spleasantvoice。
\"Oh,didhe?\"saidEustaciamoregently。\"Whatdoyouwant,Charley?\"
\"Pleasewillyourgrandfatherlendushisfuelhousetotryoverourpartsin,tonightatseveno’clock?\"
\"What,areyouoneoftheEgdonmummersforthisyear?\"
\"Yes,miss。Thecap’nusedtolettheoldmummerspractisehere。\"
\"Iknowit。Yes,youmayusethefuelhouseifyoulike,\"
saidEustacialanguidly。
ThechoiceofCaptainVye’sfuelhouseasthesceneofrehearsalwasdictatedbythefactthathisdwellingwasnearlyinthecentreoftheheath。Thefuelhousewasasroomyasabarn,andwasamostdesirableplaceforsuchapurpose。Theladswhoformedthecompanyofplayerslivedatdifferentscatteredpointsaround,andbymeetinginthisspotthedistancestobetraversedbyallthecomerswouldbeaboutequallyproportioned。
FormummersandmummingEustaciahadthegreatestcontempt。
Themummersthemselveswerenotafflictedwithanysuchfeelingfortheirart,thoughatthesametimetheywerenotenthusiastic。Atraditionalpastimeistobedistinguishedfromamererevivalinnomorestrikingfeaturethaninthis,thatwhileintherevivalallisexcitementandfervour,thesurvivaliscarriedonwithastolidityandabsenceofstirwhichsetsonewonderingwhyathingthatisdonesoperfunctorilyshouldbekeptupatall。LikeBalaamandotherunwillingprophets,theagentsseemmovedbyaninnercompulsiontosayanddotheirallottedpartswhethertheywillorno。
Thisunweetingmannerofperformanceisthetrueringbywhich,inthisrefurbishingage,afossilizedsurvivalmaybeknownfromaspuriousreproduction。
Thepiecewasthewell—knownplayofSaintGeorge,andallwhowerebehindthescenesassistedinthepreparations,includingthewomenofeachhousehold。Withouttheco—operationofsistersandsweetheartsthedresseswerelikelytobeafailure;butontheotherhand,thisclassofassistancewasnotwithoutitsdrawbacks。
Thegirlscouldneverbebroughttorespecttraditionindesigninganddecoratingthearmour;theyinsistedonattachingloopsandbowsofsilkandvelvetinanysituationpleasingtotheirtaste。Gorget,gusset,basinet,cuirass,gauntlet,sleeve,allalikeintheviewofthesefeminineeyeswerepracticablespaceswhereontosewscrapsofflutteringcolour。
ItmightbethatJoe,whofoughtonthesideofChristendom,hadasweetheart,andthatJim,whofoughtonthesideoftheMoslem,hadonelikewise。DuringthemakingofthecostumesitwouldcometotheknowledgeofJoe’ssweetheartthatJim’swasputtingbrilliantsilkscallopsatthebottomofherlover’ssurcoat,inadditiontotheribbonsofthevisor,thebarsofwhich,beinginvariablyformedofcolouredstripsabouthalfaninchwidehangingbeforetheface,weremostlyofthatmaterial。
Joe’ssweetheartstraight—wayplacedbrilliantsilkonthescallopsoftheheminquestion,and,goingalittlefurther,addedribbontuftstotheshoulderpieces。Jim’s,nottobeoutdone,wouldaffixbowsandrosetteseverywhere。
TheresultwasthatintheendtheValiantSoldier,oftheChristianarmy,wasdistinguishedbynopeculiarityofaccoutrementfromtheTurkishKnight;andwhatwasworse,onacasualviewSaintGeorgehimselfmightbemistakenforhisdeadlyenemy,theSaracen。Theguisersthemselves,thoughinwardlyregrettingthisconfusionofpersons,couldnotaffordtooffendthosebywhoseassistancetheysolargelyprofited,andtheinnovationswereallowedtostand。
Therewas,itistrue,alimittothistendencytouniformity。
TheLeechorDoctorpreservedhischaracterintact——hisdarkerhabiliments,peculiarhat,andthebottleofphysicslungunderhisarm,couldneverbemistaken。
AndthesamemightbesaidoftheconventionalfigureofFatherChristmas,withhisgiganticclub,anolderman,whoaccompaniedthebandasgeneralprotectorinlongnightjourneysfromparishtoparish,andwasbearerofthepurse。
Seveno’clock,thehouroftherehearsal,cameround,andinashorttimeEustaciacouldhearvoicesinthefuelhouse。
Todissipateinsometriflingmeasureherabidingsenseofthemurkinessofhumanlifeshewenttothe\"linhay\"
orlean—toshed,whichformedtheroot—storeoftheirdwellingandabuttedonthefuelhouse。Herewasasmallroughholeinthemudwall,originallymadeforpigeons,throughwhichtheinteriorofthenextshedcouldbeviewed。
Alightcamefromitnow;andEustaciasteppeduponastooltolookinuponthescene。
Onaledgeinthefuelhousestoodthreetallrushlightsandbythelightofthemsevenoreightladsweremarchingabout,haranguing,andconfusingeachother,inendeavourstoperfectthemselvesintheplay。
HumphreyandSam,thefurze—andturf—cutters,weretherelookingon,soalsowasTimothyFairway,wholeantagainstthewallandpromptedtheboysfrommemory,interspersingamongthesetwordsremarksandanecdotesofthesuperiordayswhenheandothersweretheEgdonmummers—electthattheseladswerenow。
\"Well,yebeaswelluptoitaseveryewillbe,\"hesaid。
\"Notthatsuchmummingwouldhavepassedinourtime。
HarryastheSaracenshouldstrutabitmore,andJohnneedn’thollerhisinsideout。Beyondthatperhapsyou’lldo。
Haveyougotallyourclothesready?\"
\"WeshallbyMonday。\"
\"YourfirstoutingwillbeMondaynight,Isuppose?\"
\"Yes。AtMrs。Yeobright’s。\"
\"Oh,Mrs。Yeobright’s。Whatmakesherwanttoseeye?I
shouldthinkamiddle—agedwomanwastiredofmumming。\"
\"She’sgotupabitofaparty,because’tisthefirstChristmasthathersonClymhasbeenhomeforalongtime。\"
\"Tobesure,tobesure——herparty!Iamgoingmyself。
Ialmostforgotit,uponmylife。\"
Eustacia’sfaceflagged。TherewastobeapartyattheYeobrights’;she,naturally,hadnothingtodowithit。
Shewasastrangertoallsuchlocalgatherings,andhadalwaysheldthemasscarcelyappertainingtohersphere。
Buthadshebeengoing,whatanopportunitywouldhavebeenaffordedherofseeingthemanwhoseinfluencewaspenetratingherlikesummersun!Toincreasethatinfluencewascovetedexcitement;tocastitoffmightbetoregainserenity;toleaveitasitstoodwastantalizing。
Theladsandmenpreparedtoleavethepremises,andEustaciareturnedtoherfireside。Shewasimmersedinthought,butnotforlong。InafewminutestheladCharley,whohadcometoaskpermissiontousetheplace,returnedwiththekeytothekitchen。Eustaciaheardhim,andopeningthedoorintothepassagesaid,\"Charley,comehere。\"
Theladwassurprised。Heenteredthefrontroomnotwithoutblushing;forhe,likemany,hadfeltthepowerofthisgirl’sfaceandform。
Shepointedtoaseatbythefire,andenteredtheothersideofthechimney—cornerherself。
Itcouldbeseeninherfacethatwhatevermotiveshemighthavehadinaskingtheyouthindoorswouldsoonappear。
\"Whichpartdoyouplay,Charley——theTurkishKnight,doyounot?\"inquiredthebeauty,lookingacrossthesmokeofthefiretohimontheotherside。
\"Yes,miss,theTurkishKnight,\"hereplieddiffidently。
\"Isyoursalongpart?\"
\"Ninespeeches,about。\"
\"Canyourepeatthemtome?IfsoIshouldliketohearthem。\"
Theladsmiledintotheglowingturfandbegan——
\"HerecomeI,aTurkishKnight,WholearntinTurkishlandtofight,\"
continuingthediscoursethroughoutthescenestotheconcludingcatastropheofhisfallbythehandofSaintGeorge。
Eustaciahadoccasionallyheardthepartrecitedbefore。
Whentheladendedshebegan,preciselyinthesamewords,andrantedonwithouthitchordivergencetillshetooreachedtheend。Itwasthesamething,yethowdifferent。
Likeinform,ithadtheaddedsoftnessandfinishofaRaffaelleafterPerugino,which,whilefaithfullyreproducingtheoriginalsubject,entirelydistancestheoriginalart。
Charley’seyesroundedwithsurprise。\"Well,youbeacleverlady!\"hesaid,inadmiration。\"I’vebeenthreeweekslearningmine。\"
\"Ihavehearditbefore,\"shequietlyobserved。
\"Now,wouldyoudoanythingtopleaseme,Charley?\"
\"I’ddoagooddeal,miss。\"
\"Wouldyouletmeplayyourpartforonenight?\"
\"Oh,miss!Butyourwoman’sgown——youcouldn’t。\"
\"Icangetboy’sclothes——atleastallthatwouldbewantedbesidesthemummingdress。WhatshouldIhavetogiveyoutolendmeyourthings,toletmetakeyourplaceforanhourortwoonMondaynight,andonnoaccounttosayawordaboutwhoorwhatIam?Youwould,ofcourse,havetoexcuseyourselffromplayingthatnight,andtosaythatsomebody——acousinofMissVye’s——wouldactforyou。
Theothermummershaveneverspokentomeintheirlivessothatitwouldbesafeenough;andifitwerenot,Ishouldnotmind。Now,whatmustIgiveyoutoagreetothis?Halfacrown?\"
Theyouthshookhishead\"Fiveshillings?\"
Heshookhisheadagain。\"Moneywon’tdoit,\"hesaid,brushingtheironheadofthefiredogwiththehollowofhishand。
\"Whatwill,then,Charley?\"saidEustaciainadisappointedtone。
\"YouknowwhatyouforbademeattheMaypoling,miss,\"
murmuredthelad,withoutlookingather,andstillstrokingthefiredog’shead。
\"Yes,\"saidEustacia,withalittlemorehauteur。
\"Youwantedtojoinhandswithmeinthering,ifIrecollect?\"
\"Halfanhourofthat,andI’llagree,miss。\"
Eustaciaregardedtheyouthsteadfastly。Hewasthreeyearsyoungerthanherself,butapparentlynotbackwardforhisage。
\"Halfanhourofwhat?\"shesaid,thoughsheguessedwhat。
\"Holdingyourhandinmine。\"
Shewassilent。\"Makeitaquarterofanhour,\"shesaid\"Yes,MissEustacia——Iwill,ifImaykissittoo。
Aquarterofanhour。AndI’llsweartodothebestI
cantoletyoutakemyplacewithoutanybodyknowing。
Don’tyouthinksomebodymightknowyourtongue,miss?\"
\"Itispossible。ButIwillputapebbleinmymouthtomakeislesslikely。Verywell;youshallbeallowedtohavemyhandassoonasyoubringthedressandyourswordandstaff。Idon’twantyouanylongernow。\"
Charleydeparted,andEustaciafeltmoreandmoreinterestinlife。Herewassomethingtodo:herewassomeonetosee,andacharminglyadventurouswaytoseehim。
\"Ah,\"shesaidtoherself,\"wantofanobjecttolivefor——that’sallisthematterwithme!\"
Eustacia’smannerwasasaruleofaslumberoussort,herpassionsbeingofthemassiveratherthanthevivaciouskind。
Butwhenarousedshewouldmakeadashwhich,justforthetime,wasnotunlikethemoveofanaturallylivelyperson。
Onthequestionofrecognitionshewassomewhatindifferent。
Bytheactingladsthemselvesshewasnotlikelytobeknown。
Withtheguestswhomightbeassembledshewashardlysosecure。
Yetdetection,afterall,wouldbenosuchdreadfulthing。
Thefactonlycouldbedetected,hertruemotivenever。
Itwouldbeinstantlysetdownasthepassingfreakofagirlwhosewayswerealreadyconsideredsingular。
Thatshewasdoingforanearnestreasonwhatwouldmostnaturallybedoneinjestwasatanyrateasafesecret。
ThenexteveningEustaciastoodpunctuallyatthefuelhousedoor,waitingfortheduskwhichwastobringCharleywiththetrappings。Hergrandfatherwasathometonight,andshewouldbeunabletoaskherconfederateindoors。
Heappearedonthedarkridgeofheathland,likeaflyonaNegro,bearingthearticleswithhim,andcameupbreathlesswithhiswalk。
\"Herearethethings,\"hewhispered,placingthemuponthethreshold。\"Andnow,MissEustacia——\"
\"Thepayment。Itisquiteready。Iamasgoodasmyword。\"
Sheleantagainstthedoor—post,andgavehimherhand。
Charleytookitinbothhisownwithatendernessbeyonddescription,unlessitwaslikethatofachildholdingacapturedsparrow。
\"Why,there’sagloveonit!\"hesaidinadeprecatingway。
\"Ihavebeenwalking,\"sheobserved。
\"But,miss!\"
\"Well——itishardlyfair。\"Shepulledofftheglove,andgavehimherbarehand。
Theystoodtogetherminuteafterminute,withoutfurtherspeech,eachlookingattheblackeningscene,andeachthinkinghisandherownthoughts。
\"IthinkIwon’tuseitalluptonight,\"saidCharleydevotedly,whensixoreightminuteshadbeenpassedbyhimcaressingherhand。\"MayIhavetheotherfewminutesanothertime?\"
\"Asyoulike,\"saidshewithouttheleastemotion。
\"Butitmustbeoverinaweek。Now,thereisonlyonethingIwantyoutodo——towaitwhileIputonthedress,andthentoseeifIdomypartproperly。Butletmelookfirstindoors。\"
Shevanishedforaminuteortwo,andwentin。
Hergrandfatherwassafelyasleepinhischair。\"Now,then,\"
shesaid,onreturning,\"walkdownthegardenalittleway,andwhenIamreadyI’llcallyou。\"
Charleywalkedandwaited,andpresentlyheardasoftwhistle。
Hereturnedtothefuelhousedoor。
\"Didyouwhistle,MissVye?\"
\"Yes;comein,\"reachedhiminEustacia’svoicefromabackquarter。\"Imustnotstrikealighttillthedoorisshut,oritmaybeseenshining。Pushyourhatintotheholethroughtothewash—house,ifyoucanfeelyourwayacross。\"
Charleydidascommanded,andshestruckthelightrevealingherselftobechangedinsex,brilliantincolours,andarmedfromtoptotoe。PerhapsshequailedalittleunderCharley’svigorousgaze,butwhetheranyshynessathermaleattireappeareduponhercountenancecouldnotbeseenbyreasonofthestripsofribbonwhichusedtocoverthefaceinmummingcostumes,representingthebarredvisorofthemediaevalhelmet。
\"Itfitsprettywell,\"shesaid,lookingdownatthewhiteoveralls,\"exceptthatthetunic,orwhateveryoucallit,islonginthesleeve。ThebottomoftheoverallsIcanturnupinside。Nowpayattention。\"
Eustaciathenproceededinherdelivery,strikingtheswordagainstthestafforlanceattheminatoryphrases,intheorthodoxmummingmanner,andstruttingupanddown。
Charleyseasonedhisadmirationwithcriticismofthegentlestkind,forthetouchofEustacia’shandyetremainedwithhim。
\"Andnowforyourexcusetotheothers,\"shesaid。
\"WheredoyoumeetbeforeyougotoMrs。Yeobright’s?\"
\"Wethoughtofmeetinghere,miss,ifyouhavenothingtosayagainstit。Ateighto’clock,soastogettherebynine。\"
\"Yes。Well,youofcoursemustnotappear。Iwillmarchinaboutfiveminuteslate,ready—dressed,andtellthemthatyoucan’tcome。Ihavedecidedthatthebestplanwillbeforyoutobesentsomewherebyme,tomakearealthingoftheexcuse。Ourtwoheath—croppersareinthehabitofstrayingintothemeads,andtomorroweveningyoucangoandseeiftheyaregonethere。
I’llmanagetherest。Nowyoumayleaveme。\"
\"Yes,miss。ButIthinkI’llhaveoneminutemoreofwhatIamowed,ifyoudon’tmind。\"
Eustaciagavehimherhandasbefore。
\"Oneminute,\"shesaid,andcountedontillshereachedsevenoreightminutes。Handandpersonshethenwithdrewtoadistanceofseveralfeet,andrecoveredsomeofherolddignity。Thecontractcompleted,sheraisedbetweenthemabarrierimpenetrableasawall。
\"There,’tisallgone;andIdidn’tmeanquiteall,\"
hesaid,withasigh。
\"Youhadgoodmeasure,\"saidshe,turningaway。
\"Yes,miss。Well,’tisover,andnowI’llgethome—along。\"
5—ThroughtheMoonlightThenexteveningthemummerswereassembledinthesamespot,awaitingtheentranceoftheTurkishKnight。
\"TwentyminutesaftereightbytheQuietWoman,andCharleynotcome。\"
\"TenminutespastbyBlooms—End。\"
\"Itwantstenminutesto,byGrandferCantle’swatch。\"
\"And’tisfiveminutespastbythecaptain’sclock。\"
OnEgdontherewasnoabsolutehouroftheday。Thetimeatanymomentwasanumberofvaryingdoctrinesprofessedbythedifferenthamlets,someofthemhavingoriginallygrownupfromacommonroot,andthenbecomedividedbysecession,somehavingbeenalienfromthebeginning。
WestEgdonbelievedinBlooms—Endtime,EastEgdoninthetimeoftheQuietWomanInn。GrandferCantle’swatchhadnumberedmanyfollowersinyearsgoneby,butsincehehadgrownolderfaithswereshaken。
Thus,themummershavinggatheredhitherfromscatteredpointseachcamewithhisowntenetsonearlyandlate;
andtheywaitedalittlelongerasacompromise。
Eustaciahadwatchedtheassemblagethroughthehole;
andseeingthatnowwasthepropermomenttoenter,shewentfromthe\"linhay\"andboldlypulledthebobbinofthefuelhousedoor。HergrandfatherwassafeattheQuietWoman。
\"Here’sCharleyatlast!Howlateyoube,Charley。\"
\"’TisnotCharley,\"saidtheTurkishKnightfromwithinhisvisor。\"’TisacousinofMissVye’s,cometotakeCharley’splacefromcuriosity。Hewasobligedtogoandlookfortheheath—croppersthathavegotintothemeads,andIagreedtotakehisplace,asheknewhecouldn’tcomebackhereagaintonight。Iknowthepartaswellashe。\"
Hergracefulgait,elegantfigure,anddignifiedmanneringeneralwonthemummerstotheopinionthattheyhadgainedbytheexchange,ifthenewcomerwereperfectinhispart。
\"Itdon’tmatter——ifyoubenottooyoung,\"saidSaintGeorge。
Eustacia’svoicehadsoundedsomewhatmorejuvenileandflutythanCharley’s。
\"Iknoweverywordofit,Itellyou,\"saidEustaciadecisively。
Dashbeingallthatwasrequiredtocarryhertriumphantlythrough,sheadoptedasmuchaswasnecessary。\"Goahead,lads,withthetry—over。I’llchallengeanyofyoutofindamistakeinme。\"
Theplaywashastilyrehearsed,whereupontheothermummersweredelightedwiththenewknight。Theyextinguishedthecandlesathalf—pasteight,andsetoutupontheheathinthedirectionofMrs。Yeobright’shouseatBloom’s—End。
Therewasaslighthoarfrostthatnight,andthemoon,thoughnotmorethanhalffull,threwaspiritedandenticingbrightnessuponthefantasticfiguresofthemummingband,whoseplumesandribbonsrustledintheirwalklikeautumnleaves。TheirpathwasnotoverRainbarrownow,butdownavalleywhichleftthatancientelevationalittletotheeast。Thebottomofthevalewasgreentoawidthoftenyardsorthereabouts,andtheshiningfacetsoffrostuponthebladesofgrassseemedtomoveonwiththeshadowsofthosetheysurrounded。Themassesoffurzeandheathtotherightandleftweredarkasever;
amerehalf—moonwaspowerlesstosilversuchsablefeaturesastheirs。
Half—an—hourofwalkingandtalkingbroughtthemtothespotinthevalleywherethegrassribandwidenedandleddowntothefrontofthehouse。AtsightoftheplaceEustaciawhohadfeltafewpassingdoubtsduringherwalkwiththeyouths,againwasgladthattheadventurehadbeenundertaken。
Shehadcomeouttoseeamanwhomightpossiblyhavethepowertodeliverhersoulfromamostdeadlyoppression。
WhatwasWildeve?Interesting,butinadequate。
Perhapsshewouldseeasufficientherotonight。
Astheydrewnearertothefrontofthehousethemummersbecameawarethatmusicanddancingwerebrisklyflourishingwithin。
Everynowandthenalonglownotefromtheserpent,whichwasthechiefwindinstrumentplayedatthesetimes,advancedfurtherintotheheaththanthethintreblepart,andreachedtheirearsalone;andnextamorethanusualloudtreadfromadancerwouldcomethesameway。
Withnearerapproachthesefragmentarysoundsbecamepiecedtogether,andwerefoundtobethesalientpointsofthetunecalled\"Nancy’sFancy。\"
Hewasthere,ofcourse。Whowasshethathedancedwith?
Perhapssomeunknownwoman,farbeneathherselfinculture,wasbythemostsubtleofluressealinghisfatethisveryinstant。Todancewithamanistoconcentrateatwelvemonth’sregulationfireuponhiminthefragmentofanhour。Topasstocourtshipwithoutacquaintance,topasstomarriagewithoutcourtship,isaskippingoftermsreservedforthosealonewhotreadthisroyalroad。
Shewouldseehowhisheartlaybykeenobservationofthemall。
Theenterprisingladyfollowedthemummingcompanythroughthegateinthewhitepaling,andstoodbeforetheopenporch。
Thehousewasencrustedwithheavythatchings,whichdroppedbetweentheupperwindows;thefront,uponwhichthemoonbeamsdirectlyplayed,hadoriginallybeenwhite;
butahugepyracanthnowdarkenedthegreaterportion。
Itbecameatonceevidentthatthedancewasproceedingimmediatelywithinthesurfaceofthedoor,noapartmentintervening。
Thebrushingofskirtsandelbows,sometimesthebumpingofshoulders,couldbeheardagainsttheverypanels。
Eustacia,thoughlivingwithintwomilesoftheplace,hadneverseentheinteriorofthisquaintoldhabitation。
BetweenCaptainVyeandtheYeobrightstherehadneverexistedmuchacquaintance,theformerhavingcomeasastrangerandpurchasedthelong—emptyhouseatMistoverKnapnotlongbeforethedeathofMrs。Yeobright’shusband;
andwiththateventandthedepartureofhersonsuchfriendshipashadgrownupbecamequitebrokenoff。
\"Istherenopassageinsidethedoor,then?\"askedEustaciaastheystoodwithintheporch。
\"No,\"saidtheladwhoplayedtheSaracen。\"Thedooropensrightuponthefrontsitting—room,wherethespree’sgoingon。\"
\"Sothatwecannotopenthedoorwithoutstoppingthedance。\"
\"That’sit。Herewemustbidetilltheyhavedone,fortheyalwaysboltthebackdoorafterdark。\"
\"Theywon’tbemuchlonger,\"saidFatherChristmas。
Thisassertion,however,washardlyborneoutbytheevent。
Againtheinstrumentsendedthetune;againtheyrecommencedwithasmuchfireandpathosasifitwerethefirststrain。Theairwasnowthatonewithoutanyparticularbeginning,middle,orend,whichperhaps,amongallthedanceswhichthronganinspiredfiddler’sfancy,bestconveystheideaoftheinterminable——thecelebrated\"Devil’sDream。\"Thefuryofpersonalmovementthatwaskindledbythefuryofthenotescouldbeapproximatelyimaginedbytheseoutsidersunderthemoon,fromtheoccasionalkicksoftoesandheelsagainstthedoor,wheneverthewhirlroundhadbeenofmorethancustomaryvelocity。
Thefirstfiveminutesoflisteningwasinterestingenoughtothemummers。Thefiveminutesextendedtotenminutes,andthesetoaquarterofanhour;butnosignsofceasingwereaudibleinthelively\"Dream。\"Thebumpingagainstthedoor,thelaughter,thestamping,wereallasvigorousasever,andthepleasureinbeingoutsidelessenedconsiderably。
\"WhydoesMrs。Yeobrightgivepartiesofthissort?\"
Eustaciaasked,alittlesurprisedtohearmerrimentsopronounced。
\"Itisnotoneofherbettermostparlour—parties。She’saskedtheplainneighboursandworkpeoplewithoutdrawinganylines,justtogive’emagoodsupperandsuchlike。