The Argosy — page 295: what you’re looking at

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

274 The House of Halliwell. stitching-meeting. The mothers be more cunning than the daughters, and that’s a fact. I wonder master ain’t druv clean off his head with the two. Here comes master! he is soon home to-night.” Hester quitted the room with Betty, leaving it as it was until morning. ‘‘Where do you sleep?” she inquired. ‘‘Up there, miss, in the cock-loft.” “ T thought that was Jim’s room.” ‘Jim left when I came in, miss. He is to come, of a day, to fetch and carry messages. The notes master has to send the ladies, in answer to their’n, is enough to exercise Jim’s legs.” When Hester made her appearance in the parlour the following The back morning, she wondered what in the world had come to it. of every chair was decorated off with a white netted covering. . And not only the chairs, but the ends of the little sofa, and also the two stools, which were not of common horsehair, like the rest of the She had furniture, but elegant pieces of embroidery in floss silks. never met with these white things before; they have become universal since, but her opinion is that Chelson gave rise to the fashion, for she saw none anywhere else for years afterwards. ‘“T knew you would be dazed, miss,” cried Betty in triumph. “I had got ’em in the wash-tub vdakeaday, They was pretty black when I came, for this room smokes like anything, and I sat up to dry and finish ’em after you went to bed.” ‘What do you call them? What are they for?” asked Hester, pleased with the novel sight. “Well, miss, they ain’t of no use, they are for ornament ; tumbled, and they gets on the floor, and the cotton fluff from ’em I calls ’em chair-sacks, but that There’s a set for master’s bedroom, which haven’t been put on yet; and Jim did hear, miss,” added Betty, drop- ping her voice to a mysterious whisper, ‘‘ that the ladies was a con- sulting whether they might not do some to put on the pulpit cushions.” Hester was admiring them still, for they gave a light, pretty ap- pearance to the low, dark room and its plain furniture, when her gets on to the gentlemen’s clothes. ain’t the quality name. brother entered. ‘‘ How gay you are, Alfred!” she said. “Gay! Oh, with these anti-macassars. A senseless name for them, insinuating that we all use hair-oil.” ‘Who made them ?” ‘* Miss—let me see—Muiss Dewisson, I think it was, made this set.” ‘* Betty says there are some for your bedroom.” “Yes. Emma Farley made those. You had better put them in yours. I have not used them.” ‘* And who worked you these foot-stools, Alfred ?” “Oh, that was a joint-stock affair, I believe. and presented them.” The vicarage was inundated that day with callers, so that its The visits were Five or six joined, inmates could hardly snatch their early dinner. they gets (C(O) m boo cS (ae)