often said, in reference to her likeness to
her father, "Her's a scrut o' th' owd basin."

Jos had emptied out from his pocket on to the table a good three dozen
of scruts. Emily laid aside her spoon, rubbed the palms of her hands
on the bib of her apron, and proceeded to finger these scruts with the
air of a connoisseur, rejecting one after another. The pudding was
a small one, designed merely for herself and Jos, with remainder to
"the girl"; so that it could hardly accommodate more than two or three
scruts. Emily knew well that one scrut is as good as another. Yet she
did not want her brother to feel that anything selected by him would
necessarily pass muster with her. For his benefit she ostentatiously
wrinkled her nose.

"By the by," said Jos, "you remember Albert Grapp? I've asked him to
step over from Hanbridge and help eat our snack on Christmas Day."

Emily gave Jos one of her looks. "You've asked that Mr. Grapp?"

"No objection, I hope? He's not a bad sort. And he's considered a bit
of a ladies' man, you know."

She gathered up all the scruts and let them fall in a rattling shower
on the exiguous pudding. Two or three fell wide of the basin. These
she added.

"Steady on!" cried Jos. "What's that for?"

"That's for your guest," replied his sister. "And if you think you're
going to palm me off on to him, or on to any other young fellow,
you're a fool, Jos Wrackgarth."

The young man protested weakly, but she cut him short.

"Don't think," she said, "I don't know what you've been after, just of
late. Cracking up one young sawny and then another on the chance of me
marrying him! I never heard of such goings on. But here I am, and here
I'll stay, as sure as my name's Emily Wrackgarth, Jos Wrackgarth!"

She was the incarnation of the adorably feminine. She was exquisitely
vital. She exuded at every pore the pathos of her young undirected
force. It is difficult to write calmly about her. For her, in another
age, ships would have been launched and cities besieged. But brothers
are a race apart, and blind. It is a fact that Jos would have been
glad to see his sister "settled"--preferably in one of the other four
Towns.

She took up the spoon and stirred vigorously. The scruts grated and
squeaked together around the basin, while the pudding feebly wormed
its way up among them.

II.

Albert Grapp, ladies' man though he was, was humble of heart. Nobody
knew this but himself. Not one of his fellow clerks