i wint to the alluyunce to-day for the first time alone. minnie sed she was after being worn out wid kaping me frum accipting the woorthliss places offered by the pathrons of the alluyunce. “ye shud have enuff spunk yersilf by now” ses she. “don’t be saft. raymimber ladies is your natrel inimies and beests of prey on poor hilpless sarvant girls.”

miss flimflam spyed me as soon as i intered, and tuk me by the arm just as i was going to the room upstares.

“i’m glad” ses she corjully, “youve cum alone. your frind was a inkubust” ses she. “now cum rite along wid me. theres a swate little lady wants a girl just like you” ses she, “and shes willing to pay you well and treet you” ses she, shmiling, “like a lady.”

wid that she leeds me acrost the room to wan of the sofies, and pushes out wid her foot wan of thim camp stules for the girls to sit upon.

“good marning mam” ses i, lifting up me eyes modestly, and then i give sooch a joomp the dummed stool dubbles up under me and down i cum wid a boomp on the flure. for there sitting looking at me, very much surprysed and horty is miss claire hersilf. she smiled a bit whin i picked mesilf up, and ses i:

“why, miss, the site of your pretty face just about flabbergasted me. how are you?” ses i.

“quite well, thank you” ses she, very stiffly.

“and your mother?”

“—er mother is pretty well” ses she.

“your father.”

“papa is—er—about the same” ses she.

“mr. johnny?”

“still dy-et-ing, delia.”

“and mr. james——”

“james——well, delia, nun of us are very well. james ses he has intygischun.”

“and what is that?” i inquires cooryissly

“—er—a sort of pane in the—er—stummick” ses she.

“is it billy ake yure meening?”

she blushes, and ses:

“i suppose so.”

“who do be doing the cooking?” i arsks.

“well—er—i tried. delia don’t you dare to larf” ses she indignantly.

“larf!” ses i, “why lor bless your hart darlint, i’d more likely be weeping for the unhappy family.”

she leened tords me, wid her horchure quite gone, and looking as meek and swate as a kitten in thrubble.

“delia” ses she, “ive had elivin girls in since you left” ses she.

“you poor lamb!”

she puts on that weedling voyce she has whin bothering me to let her make mussy foodge in me frying pans:

“delia” ses she, “w-wudnt you like to cum back?”

i shuk me hed. then she set back, her horchure cuming back agin.

“o well” ses she, “theres hundreds of uther girls.”

“yes” ses i “the same as the elivin yourve had.”

“delia” ses she wid pashion “for pity sake do come back. i did thry to do my best but its like attempting to pleese a family of porkypines since you left and o! those awful craychures that came after you left. why wan of thim” ses she indignantly “was want to tak the soyled table linen—aven the lace doylies—for dish cloths.”

“my god! miss” ses i “you don’t meen them buties you made yersilf?”

“yes indade,” ses she turning her face away.

“miss claire” ses i.

“yes delia” ses she quickly, turning round in a bounce.

“nothing” ses i, angry wid mesilf for me meekness.

“delia” ses she despritly, “we’ve tuk a place in the cuntry. we must have a girl. its dredful to think of being widout one. o delia, do please cum wid us.”

“no-o—miss—” ses i a bit tremendulussly.

“i’ll—i’ll—give you that old—er—its not relly old—black taffita jacket of mine” ses she.

i skuk me hed.

“—and the skurt wid the box plates” ses she “and you can have that tucked shemysett—you no, the one you do up so luvly.”

“no miss claire” ses i firmly, getting up. “i’m for uther wark than gineral housewark.” she got up also, and her voyce sounds a bit shakey.

“very well delia” ses she. “its hard on me——so much trubble——” thin her blue eyes run over, and she walked away, wiping thim wid her handkychiff. i seen her go out the dure. i filt a sinking at me hart. minnie carnavan was forgotten, and like the gump she ses i am i made a grand dash fur the dure, wid all the miss flimflams of the alluyunce, and the ladies thimsilves gaping after me in horrow. i seen miss claire half a block away, and i run after her puffing:

“miss claire! darlint! miss claire!” i called after her. she turned about and guve me wan look. then she made a like grand dash as mesilf. her parrysol flew out of her hand, also her rist bag.

“‘very well, delia,’ ses she. ‘it’s hard on me ...

so much trouble!’”

“o delia—you duck” ses she, and kissed me wid a smack, hugging and squazing me manewile.

there cum three yung doods marching down the avenoo, and as miss claire taks me in her arms the bauld yung chaps stud still and looked at us and shmiled. thin one bint down and keerfully picked up the parrysol and wiped it wid the sleeve of his foine gray coat. as me and miss claire extrycate ourselves he offers it to her wid a bow. she toorned red as a peeney and her bloo eyes guv one luk up at the dood, then drapped demoorly:

“thanks” ses she, “thanks agin” ses she, as he likewise returns her rist-bag. he lifted up his hat, waited a bit for more thanks, and thin marched aff, shmiling like his face wud bust. she smiles too, and ses i, boorsting:

“a roomance, miss claire! be all the saints in hivin and airth, ye’ve luked into the eyes of your hoosband.”

“nonsense” ses she, laffing, “you’re the same old silly sintimental delia. cum home deer.”