is hand, not daring to forbid her to do as
she was minded. "And you, Sir 'Oo--will not you sit down also?"

"I will continue to stand if you will allow me."

"Very well; you shall do as most pleases you. As I did walk here, and
shall walk back, I will sit down."

"And now, if you have any thing to say, Madam Gordeloup," said Sir
Hugh, looking at the silver covers which were hiding the chops and the
asparagus, and looking also at his watch, "perhaps you will be good
enough to say it."

"Any thing to say! Yes, Sir 'Oo, I have something to say. It is a pity
you will not sit at your dinner."

"I will not sit at my dinner till you have left me. So now, if you will
be pleased to proceed--"

"I will proceed. Perhaps you don't know that Lord Ongar died in these
arms." And Sophie, as she spoke, stretched out her skinny hands, and put
herself as far as possible into the attitude in which it would be most
convenient to nurse the head of a dying man upon her bosom. Sir Hugh,
thinking to himself that Lord Ongar could hardly have received much
consolation in his fate from this incident, declared that he had not
heard the fact before. "No, you have not heard it. She have tell nothing
to her friends here. He die abroad, and she has come back with all the
money; but she tell nothing to any body here, so I must tell."

"But I don't care how he died, Madam Gordeloup. It is nothing to me."

"But yes, Sir 'Oo. The lady, your wife, is the sister to Lady Ongar. Is
not that so? Lady Ongar did live with you before she was married. Is not
that so? Your brother and your cousin both wishes to marry her and have
all the money. Is not that so? Your brother has come to me to help him,
and has sent the little man out of Warwickshire. Is not that so?"

"What the d---- is all that to me?" said Sir Hugh, who did not quite
understand the story as the lady was telling it.

"I will explain, Sir 'Oo, what the d---- it is to you, only I wish you
were eating the nice things on the table. This Lady Ongar is treating me
very bad. She treat my brother very bad too. My brother is Count
Pateroff. We have been put to, oh, such expenses for her! It have nearly
ruined me. I make a journey to your London here altogether for her.
Then, for her, I go down to that accursed little island--what you call
it? where she insult me. Oh, all my time is gone. Your brother and your
cousin, and the little man out of Warwickshire, all coming to my house,
just as it please