ief.

"If Romund can obtain it for me."

"Oh, he has; it's all settled. Didn't you know? I met Mabel in Saint
Frideswide's Street [which ran close to the north of the Cathedral], and
she told me so.--Aunt Isel, I do wonder you don't look better after that
young woman! She'll bring Romund to his last penny before she's done.
That chape [a cape or mantle] she had on must have cost as pretty a sum
as would have bought a flock of sheep. I never saw such extravagance."

"The money's her own," responded Isel shortly.

"It's his too. And you're his mother. You never ought to let her go on
as she does."

"Deary me, Anania, as if I hadn't enough to do!"

"Other folks can slice ham and boil cabbage. You've got no call to
neglect your duty. I can tell you, Franna's that shocked you don't
speak to the girl; and Turguia was saying only the other day, she didn't
believe in folks that pretended to care so much for their children, and
let other folks run 'em into all sorts of troubles for want of looking
after a bit. I'll tell you, Aunt Isel--"

"Anania, I'll tell _you_," cried Isel, thoroughly put out, for she was
hot and tired and not feeling strong, "I'll tell you this once, you're a
regular plague and a mischief-maker. You'd make me quarrel with all the
friends I have in the world, if I listened to you. Sit you down and
rest, if you like to be peaceable; and if you don't, just go home and
give other folks a bit of rest for once in your life. I'm just worn out
with you, and that's the honest truth."

"Well, to be sure!" gasped the porter's wife, in high dudgeon and much
amazement. "I never did--! Dear, dear, to think of it--how ungrateful
folks can be! You give them the best advice, and try to help them all
you can, and they turn on you like a dog for it! Very well, Aunt Isel;
I'll let you alone!--and if you don't rue it one of these days, when
your fine lady daughter-in-law has brought you down to beggary for want
of a proper word, my name isn't Anania--that's all!"

"Oh, deary weary me!" moaned poor Isel, dropping herself on the form as
if she could not stand for another minute. "If this ain't a queer
world, I just _don't_ know! Folks never let you have a shred of peace,
and come and worrit you that bad till you scarce can tell whether you're
on your head or your heels, and you could almost find in your heart to
wish 'em safe in Heaven, and then if they don't set to work and abuse
you like Noah's wife [