But of a sudden my attention was arrested.Miss Macmanus had said something of the black silks of Antwerp, when Miss Grogram replied that she had just returned from that city and had there enjoyed a great success.My cousin had again asked something about the black silks, thinking, no doubt, that Miss Grogram had achieved some bargain, but that lady had soon undeceived her.
"Oh no," said Miss Grogram, "it was at the castle.We got such beautiful relics of General Chasse! Didn't we, Mrs.Jones?""Indeed we did," said Mrs.Jones, bringing out from beneath the skirts of her dress and ostensibly displaying a large black bag.
"And I've got such a beautiful needle-case," said the broad-back, displaying her prize."I've been ****** it up all the morning."And she handed over the article to Miss Macmanus.
"And only look at this duck of a pen-wiper," simpered flaxen-hair No.2."Only think of wiping one's pens with relics of General Chasse!" and she handed it over to the other Miss Macmanus.
"And mine's a pin-cushion," said No.1, exhibiting the trophy.
"But that's nothing to what I've got," said Miss Grogram."In the first place, there's a pair of slippers,--a beautiful pair;--they're not made up yet, of course; and then--"The two Misses Macmanus and their five pupils were sitting open-eared, open-eyed, and open-mouthed.How all these sombre-looking articles could be relics of General Chasse did not at first appear clear to them.
"What are they, Miss Grogram?" said the elder Miss Macmanus, holding the needle-case in one hand and Mrs.Jones's bag in the other.Miss Macmanus was a strong-minded female, and I reverenced my cousin when I saw the decided way in which she intended to put down the greedy arrogance of Miss Grogram.
"They are relics."
"But where do they come from, Miss Grogram?""Why, from the castle, to be sure;--from General Chasse's own rooms.""Did anybody sell them to you?"
"No."
"Or give them to you?"
"Why, no;--at least not exactly give."
"There they were, and she took 'em," said the broad-back.Oh, what a look Miss Grogram gave her! "Took them! of course I took them.
That is, you took them as much as I did.They were things that we found lying about.""What things?" asked Miss Macmanus, in a peculiarly strong-minded tone.
Miss Grogram seemed to be for a moment silenced.I had been ignored, as I have said, and my existence forgotten; but now Iobserved that the eyes of the culprits were turned towards me,--the eyes, that is, of four of them.Mrs.Jones looked at me from beneath her fan; the two girls glanced at me furtively, and then their eyes fell to the lowest flounces of their frocks.
Miss Grogram turned her spectacles right upon me, and I fancied that she nodded her head at me as a sort of answer to Miss Macmanus.The five pupils opened their mouths and eyes wider; but she of the broad back was nothing abashed.It would have been nothing to her had there been a dozen gentlemen in the room."We just found a pair of black--." The whole truth was told in the plainest possible language.
"Oh, Aunt Sally!" "Aunt Sally, how can you?" "Hold your tongue, Aunt Sally!""And then Miss Grogram just cut them up with her scissors,"continued Aunt Sally, not a whit abashed, "and gave us each a bit, only she took more than half for herself." It was clear to me that there had been some quarrel, some delicious quarrel, between Aunt Sally and Miss Grogram.Through the whole adventure I had rather respected Aunt Sally."She took more than half for herself,"continued Aunt Sally."She kept all the--""Jemima," said the elder Miss Macmanus, interrupting the speaker and addressing her sister, "it is time, I think, for the young ladies to retire.Will you be kind enough to see them to their rooms?" The five pupils thereupon rose from their seats--and courtesied.They then left the room in file, the younger Miss Macmanus showing them the way.
"But we haven't done any harm, have we?" asked Mrs.Jones, with some tremulousness in her voice.
"Well, I don't know," said Miss Macmanus."What I'm thinking of now is this;--to whom, I wonder, did the garments properly belong? Who had been the owner and wearer of them?""Why, General Chasse of course," said Miss Grogram.