ou can fix it, do it in three days; one to come, one to see, and
one to go. If you do that, and make the fust late, and the last airly,
you'll get through it; for it won't only make a day and a half, when
sumtotalized. We'll fancy it, that's better than the rael thing, any
time.

"So lets go to a country gentleman's house, or "landed," as they call
'em, cause they are so infarnally heavy. Well, his house is either an
old onconvenient up and down, crooked-laned place, bad lighted, bad
warmed, and shockin' cut up in small rooms; or a spic and span formal,
new one, havin' all or most, according to his puss, of those things,
about lord's houses, only on a smaller scale.

"Well, I'll arrive in time for dinner, I'll titivate myself up, and down
to drawin'-room, and whose the company that's to dine there? Why, cuss
'em, half a dozen of these gents own the country for miles round, so
they have to keep some company at the house, and the rest is neighbours.

"Now for goodness gracious sake, jist let's see who they be! Why one or
two poor parsons, that have nothin' new in 'em, and nothin' new on
'em, goodish sort of people too, only they larf a leetle, jist a leetle
louder at host's jokes, than at mine, at least, I suspicion it, 'cause I
never could see nothin' to larf at in his jokes. One or two country nobs
of brother landed gents, that look as big as if the whole of the three
per cent consols was in their breeches pockets; one or two damsels, that
was young once, but have confessed to bein' old maids, drop't the word
'Miss,' 'cause it sounded ridikilous, and took the title of 'Mrs.'
to look like widders. Two or three wivewomen of the Chinese stock, a
bustin' of their stays off a'most, and as fat as show-beef; an oldest
son or two, with the eend of the silver spoon he was born with, a
peepin' out o' the corner of his mouth, and his face as vacant as a horn
lantern without a candle in it; a younger son or so jist from college,
who looks as if he had an idea he'd have to airn his livin', and whose
lantern face looks as if it had had a candle in it, that had e'en amost
burnt the sides out, rather thin and pale, with streaks of Latin and
Greek in it; one or two everlastin' pretty young galls, so pretty as
there is nothin' to do, you can't hardly help bein' spooney on 'em.

"Matchless galls, they be too, for there is no matches for 'em. The
primur-genitur boy takes all so they have no fortin. Well, a younger son
won't do for 'em,