Sharing Her Crime: A Novel. May Agnes Fleming
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of me?"
"Proud of you, you barefaced little wretch! I'd like to twist your neck for you!" thundered the squire.
"Better not, Guardy; you'd be hung for man-slaughter if you did, you know."
"You don't call yourself a man, I hope!" said Louis.
"Well, if I don't, I'm a girl – which is a thousand times nicer. And speaking of girls, reminds me that Miss Hagar's got the dearest, darlingest, beautifulest little girl you ever set your eyes on."
"Miss Hagar?" they all exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes, to be sure. Law! you needn't look so astonished; this is a free country. And why can't Miss Hagar have a little girl, if she wants to, as well as anybody else, I'd like to know?" exclaimed Gipsy, rather indignantly.
"To be sure," said Louis, who took the same view of the case as Gipsy.
"Where did she get it? – whose little girl is it?" inquired Lizzie, slightly roused from her languor by the news.
"Don't know, I'm sure; nobody don't. She was off somewhere poking round all day yesterday, and came home at night with this little girl. Oh, Louis, she's such a dear little thing!"
"Is she?" said Louis, absently.
"Yes, indeed – with a face like double-refined moonlight, and long, yellow hair, and blue eyes, and pink dress, and cheeks to match. She's twice as pretty as Minette; and Miss Hagar's going to keep her, and teach her to tell fortunes, I expect."
"I wonder Dr. Wiseman allows Miss Hagar to fill the house with little beggars," said Lizzie.
"Oh, Spider's got nothing to do with it. Miss Hagar has money of her own, and can keep her if she likes. Pity if she'd have to ask permission of that 'thing of legs and arms,' everything she wants to do."
"Gipsy, my dear, you really must not speak so of Dr. Wiseman: it's positively shocking," said the highly-scandalized Mrs. Oranmore.
"Well, I don't care; he is a 'thing of legs and arms.' There, now!"
"What's the little girl's name, Gipsy?" inquired Louis.
"Celeste– isn't it pretty? And she – oh, she's a darling, and no mistake. Wouldn't I marry her if I was a man – maybe I wouldn't."
"What's her other name?"
"Got none – at least she said so; and, as I didn't like to tell her she told a story, I asked Miss Hagar, and she told me to mind my own business; yes, she actually did. Nobody minds how they talk to me. People haven't a bit of respect for me; and I have to put up with sass from every one. I won't stand it much longer, either. There!"
"No, I wouldn't advise you to," said Louis. "Better sit down; no use in standing it."
"Wiseman's a fool if he lets that crazy tramp, his sister, support beggars in his house," exclaimed the squire, in a threatening tone. "Lunatics like her should not be allowed to go at large. He has no business to permit it."
"I'd like to see him trying to stop it," said Gipsy. "I'd be in his wool."
"You!" said the squire, contemptuously. "What could a little Tom Thumb in petticoats, like you, do?"
"Look here, now, Guardy, don't call a lady names. When you speak of Tom Thumb, you know, it's getting personal. What could I do? Why, I'd set his house on fire some night about his ears, or some day, when out shooting, a bullet might strike him accidentally on purpose. It takes me to defend injured innocence," said Gipsy, getting up, and squaring-off in an attitude of defiance, as she exclaimed: "Come on, old Wiseman, I'm ready for you!"
"Well, I can't allow you to associate with beggars. You must never go to Deep Dale again. I can't countenance his proceedings. If he choose to make a fool of himself, it's no reason why I should do so too."
"None in the world, sir – especially as nature has saved you that trouble."
"You audacious little demon, you! what do you mean?"
"Ahem! I was just observing, sir, that it's time for breakfast," said Gipsy, demurely.
"Humph! humph! well, ring for Mrs. Gower, and hold your tongue."
"Sorry I can't oblige you, Guardy. But how can I hold my tongue and eat?"
"I wish I could find something to take the edge off it; it's altogether too sharp," growled the old man to himself.
Mrs. Gower, fat and good-natured as ever, entered at this moment; and, as they assembled round the table, the squire – who, though he generally got the worst of the argument, would never let Gipsy rest – again resumed the subject.
"Mind, monkey, you're not to go to Deep Dale again; I forbid you – positively forbid you."
"Lor! Guardy, you don't say so!"
"Don't be disrespectful, minx. If I'm your guardian, you shall obey me. You heard me say so before, didn't you?"
"Why, yes, I think so; but, then, you say so many things, a body can't be expected to remember them all. You must be talking, you know; and you might as well be saying that as anything else."
"But I am determined you shall obey me this time. Do you hear? At your peril, minion, dare to go there again!" thundered the squire.
"That very pretty, Guardy, won't you say it over again," replied the tantalizing elf.
"Gipsy! oh, Gipsy, my dear!" chanted the ladies Gower and Oranmore, in a horrified duet.
"You – you – you – little, yellow abomination you! You – you – skinny – "
"Squire Erliston," said Gipsy, drawing herself up with stately dignity, "let me remind you, you are getting to be personal. How would you like it if I called you– you – you red-faced old fright – you – you – you gouty-legged – "
"There! there! that'll do," hastily interrupted the squire, while a universal shout of laughter went round the table at the ludicrous manner in which the little imp mimicked his blustering tone. "There, there! don't say a word about it; but mind, if you dare to go to Dr. Wiseman's, you'll rue it. Mind that."
"All right, sir; let me help you to another roll," said Gipsy, with her sweetest smile, as she passed the plate to the old man, who looked, not only daggers, but bowie-knives at the very least.
CHAPTER IX.
A STORM AT MOUNT SUNSET HALL
"At this Sir Knight grew high in wrath,
And lifting hands and eyes up both,
Three times he smote his stomach stout,
From whence, at length, fierce words broke out."
"Totty! Totty! I say, Totty, where are you? I declare to screech, I never saw such a provoking darkey in my life. Nobody never can find her when she's wanted! Totty! Totty! hallo, Totty! I want you dreadfully, it's a matter of life and death! If that girl doesn't pay more attention to me, I'll – I'll discharge her; I will, so help me Jimmy Johnston! Totty! Totty-y-y!" So called and shouted Gipsy, as she flew in and out, and up and down stairs, banging doors after her with a noise that made the old house ring, and scolding at the top of her voice all the time.
"Laws! Miss Roarer, here I is," said Totty, hurrying as fast as possible into the presence of the little virago, to get rid of the noise.
"Oh, it's a wonder you came! I s'pose you'd rather be lounging down in the kitchen than 'tending to your mistress. How dare you go away, when you don't know what minute I may want you? Hey?"
"Good Lor! Miss Roarer, I only went down to de kitchen to get my breakfas' 'long o' the res'. How you 'spec I's gwine to live 'thout eatin'? You allers does call jes' the contrariest time, allers – "
"Hold your tongue!" exclaimed her imperious little mistress; "don't give me any of your imperunce! There, curl my hair, and put on my pretty purple riding-habit, and make me just as pretty as ever you can. Hurry up!"
"Make you pretty, indeed!"