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'
What curious people you are! What line are you in? You looked to me
at the races, child, as if you were quite out of your element, and had
got there by accident.'
'
We were there quite by accident,' returned Nell, confused by this
abrupt questioning. 'We are poor people, ma'am, and are only
wandering about. We have nothing to do; - I wish we had.'
'You amaze me more and more,' said Mrs Jarley, after remaining for
some time as mute as one of her own figures. 'Why, what do you call
yourselves? Not beggars?'
'
Indeed, ma'am, I don't know what else we are,' returned the child.
Lord bless me,' said the lady of the caravan. 'I never heard of such a
'
thing. Who'd have thought it!'
She remained so long silent after this exclamation, that Nell feared
she felt her having been induced to bestow her protection and
conversation upon one so poor, to be an outrage upon her dignity that
nothing could repair. This persuasion was rather confirmed than
otherwise by the tone in which she at length broke silence and said,
'And yet you can read. And write too, I shouldn't wonder?'
'
Yes, ma'am,' said the child, fearful of giving new offence by the
confession.
'Well, and what a thing that is,' returned Mrs Jarley. 'I can't!'
Nell said 'indeed' in a tone which might imply, either that she was
reasonably surprised to find the genuine and only Jarley, who was the
delight of the Nobility and Gentry and the peculiar pet of the Royal
Family, destitute of these familiar arts; or that she presumed so great
a
lady could scarcely stand in need of such ordinary
accomplishments. In whatever way Mrs Jarley received the response,
it did not provoke her to further questioning, or tempt her into any
more remarks at the time, for she relapsed into a thoughtful silence,
and remained in that state so long that Nell withdrew to the other
window and rejoined her grandfather, who was now awake.
At length the lady of the caravan shook off her fit of meditation, and,
summoning the driver to come under the window at which she was
seated, held a long conversation with him in a low tone of voice, as if
she were asking his advice on an important point, and discussing the
pros and cons of some very weighty matter. This conference at length
concluded, she drew in her head again, and beckoned Nell to
approach.
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