kepsey's limpid grey eyes confirmed the negative to Victor, who was
assured that the little man stood clean of any falsity.

'You are not on equal terms. You and the magistrate have helped him to
know who it is you serve, Skepsey.'

'Would you please to direct me, sir.'

'Another time. Now go and ease your feet with a run over the town.
We have music in half an hour. That you like, I know. See chiefly to
amusing yourself.'

Skepsey turned to go; he murmured, that he had enjoyed his trip.

Victor checked him: it was to ask whether this Jarniman had specified
one, any one of the numerous diseases afflicting his aged mistress.

Now Jarniman had shocked Skepsey with his blunt titles for a couple of
the foremost maladies assailing the poor lady's decayed constitution:
not to be mentioned, Skepsey's thought, in relation to ladies; whose
organs and functions we, who pay them a proper homage by restricting
them to the sphere so worthily occupied by their mothers up to the very
oldest date, respectfully curtain; their accepted masters are chivalrous
to them, deploring their need at times for the doctors and drugs. He
stood looking most unhappy. 'She was to appear, sir, in a few--perhaps a
week, a month.'

A nod dismissed him.

The fun of the expedition (and Dudley Sowerby had wound himself up to
relish it) was at night in the towns, when the sound of instrumental and
vocal music attracted crowds beneath the windows of the hotel, and
they heard zon, zon, violon, fete et basse; not bad fluting, excellent
fiddling, such singing as a maestro, conducting his own Opera, would
have approved. So Victor said of his darlings' voices. Nesta's and
her mother's were a perfect combination; Mr. Barmby's trompe in union,
sufficiently confirmed the popular impression, that they were artistes.
They had been ceremoniously ushered to their carriages, with expressions
of gratitude, at the departure from Rouen; and the Boniface at Gisors
had entreated them to stay another night, to give an entertainment.
Victor took his pleasure in letting it be known, that they were a quiet
English family, simply keeping-up the habits they practiced in Old
England: all were welcome to hear them while they were doing it; but
they did not give entertainments.

The pride of the pleasure of reversing the general idea of English
dulness among our neighbours, was perceived to have laid fast hold
of Dudley Sowerby at Dreux. He was at the window from time to time,