The Project Gutenberg EBook of Thereby Hangs a Tale, by George Manville Fenn

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Title: Thereby Hangs a Tale
Volume One

Author: George Manville Fenn

Release Date: June 20, 2010 [EBook #32929]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THEREBY HANGS A TALE ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

Volume 1, Chapter I.

A PEEP AT TOLCARNE.

"Ed--Ward!"

"Yes, mum."

A stiff, high-shouldered footman turned round as he reached the
breakfast-room door.

"Are you sure Sir Hampton has been called?"

"Yes, mum."

"And did Smith take up her ladyship's hot water?"

"Yes, mum."

"Are the young ladies coming down?"

"They went out for a walk nearly an hour ago, mum."

"Dear me! and such a damp morning, too! Did they take their
waterproofs?"

"Please, 'm, I didn't see them go."

"Look if they're hanging in the hall, Edward."

"Yes, mum."

Edward walked stiffly out, closed the door, "made a face" at it, and
returned at the end of a minute.

"Waterproofs hanging on the pegs, mum."

"Dear, dear, dear, dear! Then of course they put on their goloshes! Go
and see if they're in the lobby, Edward."

"Did see, mum," said Edward, who was wise in his generation, and had
learned the art of making his head save his heels--"goloshes is in the
lobby."

"Goloshes is in the plural, Edward, and should be _are_--mind that:
goloshes are."

"Yes, mum--galoshes are," said Edward; "and the letter-bag _are_ just
come into the kitchen. Shall I fetch it?"

"_Is_, Edward, _is_. Now do, pray, be careful. Nothing is more
annoying to visitors than to hear servants make grammatical mistakes."

"Yes, mum," said Edward.

"Is the heater very hot?"

"Yes, mum--white 'ot."

"White _what_, Edward?"

"'Ot, mum! white 'ot!"

Miss Matilda Rea, a rather compressed, squeezy lady of forty-five,
shuddered, and rearranged her black net mittens.

"Go and fetch the letter-bag, Ed-ward."

The footman made the best of his way out, and Miss Matilda inspected the
well-spread breakfast table through a large, square, gold-rimmed
eyeglass; walked to the sideboard, upon which were sundry cold meats;
and f