All--"Indeed?"

Mrs. Oreille--"I'm afraid you'll despise the weather, Miss Hawkins.

It's perfectly awful. It always is. I tell Mr. Oreille I can't and

I won't put up with any such a climate. If we were obliged to do it,

I wouldn't mind it; but we are not obliged to, and so I don't see the use

of it. Sometimes its real pitiful the way the childern pine for Parry

--don't look so sad, Bridget, 'ma chere'--poor child, she can't hear Parry

mentioned without getting the blues."

Mrs. Gashly--"Well I should think so, Mrs. Oreille. A body lives in

Paris, but a body, only stays here. I dote on Paris; I'd druther scrimp

along on ten thousand dollars a year there, than suffer and worry here on

a real decent income."

Miss Gashly--"Well then, I wish you'd take us back, mother; I'm sure I

hate this stoopid country enough, even if it is our dear native land."

Miss Emmeline Gashly--"What and leave poor Johnny Peterson behind?" [An

airy genial laugh applauded this sally].

Miss Gashly--"Sister, I should think you'd be ashamed of yourself!"

Miss Emmeline--"Oh, you needn't ruffle your feathers so: I was only

joking. He don't mean anything by coming to, the house every evening

-only comes to see mother. Of course that's all!" [General laughter].

350

The Gilded Age