sucked this in thoughtfully. She heard that
lovers were false. Why, then of course they were not like her lover!
Cornelia finished what she deemed her duty, and departed, while Emilia
thought: "I wonder whether he could be false to me;" and she gave herself
shrewd half-delicious jarrings of pain, forcing herself to contemplate
the impossible thing.

She was in this state when Mrs. Chump came across her, and with a slight
pressure of a sovereign into her hand, said: "There, it's for you, little
Belloni! and I see ye've been thinkin' me one o' the scrape-hards and
close-fists. It's Pole who keeps me low, on purpose. And I'm a wretch if
I haven't my purse full, so you see I'm all in the dark in the house, and
don't know half so much as the sluts o' the kitchen. So, ye'll tell me,
little Belloni, is Arr'bella goin' to marry Mr. Annybody? And is Cornelia
goin' to marry Sir Tickleham? And whether Mr. Wilfrud's goin' to marry
Lady Charlotte Chill'nworth? Becas, my dear, there's Arr'bella, who's
sharp, she is, as a North-easter in January, (which Chump 'd cry out for,
for the sake of his ships, poor fella--he kneelin' by 's bedside in a
long nightgown and lookin' just twice what he was!) she has me like a
nail to my vary words, and shows me that nothin' can happen betas o' what
I've said. And Cornelia--if ye'll fancy a tall codfish on its tail: 'Mrs.
Chump, I beg ye'll not go to believe annything of me.' So I says to her,
'Cornelia! my dear! do ye think, now, it's true that Chump went and
marrud his cook, that ye treat me so? becas my father,' I tell her, 'he
dealt in porrk in a large way, and I was a fine woman, full of the
arr'stocracy, and Chump a little puffed-out bladder of a man.' So then
she says: 'Mrs. Chump, I listen to no gossup: listen you to no gossup.
'And Mr. Wilfrud, my dear, he sends me on the flat o' my back, laughin'.
And Ad'la she takes and turns me right about, so that I don't see the
thing I'm askin' after; and there's nobody but you, little Belloni, to
help me, and if ye do, ye shall know what the crumple of paper sounds
like."

Mrs. Chump gave a sugary suck with her tongue. Emilia returned the money
to her.

"Ye're foolush!" said Mrs. Chump. "A shut fist's good in fight and bad in
friendship. Do ye know that? Open your hand."

"Excuse me," persisted Emilia.

"Pooh! take the money, or I'll say ye're in a conspiracy to make me
blindman's-buff of the parrty. Take ut."

"I don't want it."

"Maybe, it