The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 36: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE STEAM PACKET. 19 **La, ma!” ejaculated Belinda; “‘ how can ‘you talk in that way! i’m sure you didn’t seem anything like a person whose nerves were so bad, when you were scolding the cook just now in a voice which could be heard up at the top of the house.” “*Ah! my dearest Belmda—that was in the kitchen, you know,” returned Mrs. Pifpaf; “‘ but this is the drawing-room, love.” ““'Well, ''m sure I can’t understand how a person can be so nervous in one room, and so loud and bustling, and active in another, mamma,” persisted Belinda, who now amused herself by leaping over the stool instead of off and on it. ‘“Ah! my poor head!” said the lady with an intense melancholy of tone, which would have inspired a stranger with the most serious alarm, and induced him to risk the dislocation of his neck in his hurry to fetch a doctor. ** At all events,” continued Belinda, who was now knocking flies off the looking-glass with her delicate white cambric handkerchief, and surveying herself the whole time in the mirror as she thus innocently disported,—“ at all events, it is very fortunate that this poor head of yours only came on when all the day’s preparations were made. You were up at five this morning, mamma, for I heard you rout out the maids; and you have been busy ever since in the confection of jellies, whips, blanc-manger, and all the little nick-nacks in which you excel—when you have the Cookery Book at your elbow.”’ ““Do not chatter so, Belinda, love: I really am afraid that my poor head will prevent me from appearing at the dinner-table. Oh! it is hard to suffer as I always do—and in the prime of life too!” added Mrs. Pifpaf, who was only just turned forty-five Scarcely had Mrs, Pifpaf uttered her apprehensions relative to the probable results of her poor head, when the cook came rushing into the room, exclaiming in piteous accents, “‘ Qh! ma’am—the creams— the jellies—the cat!” ‘What, Mary!” cried Mrs. Pifpaf, in a voice of extraordinary power and quickness for an invalid; and, in spite of her nerves, she started from the sofa, pushed the cook violently aside, and flew, rather than ran, down stairs to the kitchen. ‘¢ What is the matter, Mary ?”’ demanded Miss Aramintha. ‘‘The cat, Miss ” began the discomfited servant, wiping her brow with her apron. | : “Well, Mary—what then? the cat said Aramintha, almost breathless. ‘¢ Has thrown down all the jellies, and drank up the —— ” “The creams!” -ejaculated Miss Pifpaf, clasping her hands ie c2 Gomichbooks (E(0)