"
"Wait a minute," I pleaded.
"No," she said, imperiously motioning me. "Come along." And with a sigh
I was given, a helpless, but silently protesting, captive, to the
mercies of Mrs. Bowser.
That eloquent lady received me with a flutter of feathers, if I may
borrow the expression, to indicate her pleasure.
"Oh, Mr. Wilton, you'll pardon my boldness, I'm sure," she said with an
amiable flirt of the head, as I seated myself beside her and watched
Luella melt away into the next room; "but I was afraid you had
forgotten all about us poor women, and it's a dreadful thing to be in
this great house when there isn't a man about, though of course there
are the servants, but you can't count them as men, besides some of them
being Chinamen. And we--I--that is, I really did want to see you, and
we ought to have so much to talk over, for I've heard that your
mother's first cousin was a Bowser, and I do so want to see that dear,
delightful Chinatown that I've heard so much about, though they do say
it's horrid and dirty, but you'll let us see that for ourselves, won't
you, and did you ever go through Chinatown, Mr. Wilton?"
Mrs. Bowser pulled up her verbal coach-and-six so suddenly that I felt
as though she must have been pitched off the box.
"Oh," said I carelessly, "I've seen the place often enough."
"How nice!" Then suddenly looking grave, Mrs. Bowser spoke from behind
her fan. "But I hope, Mr. Wilton, there's nothing there that a lady
shouldn't see.
Pages:
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148