ace against
having to wait upon an anomaly. Who could be sure this venerable
person--from Sapps Court, think of it!--had never waited on anyone
herself? It was the ambiguity that was so disgusting.

"Please may I see it, to look at?" said Mrs. Picture. "I may not be able
to read it, quite, but you shall have it back, to read." She was eager
to see the young scribe's progress, but was baffled by obscurities, as
she anticipated. She was equal to:--"Dear Granny Marrable." No more!

"Hand it over!" said Gwen. "'Dear Granny Marrable.' That's all plain
sailing; now what's this? 'This crorce is for Dolly's love.' There's a
great big black cross to show it, and everything is spelt just as I say
it. 'I give you my love itself!' Really, he's full of the most excellent
differences, as Shakespeare says. I'll go on. 'Arnt M'riar she's
took....' Oh dear! this _is_ a word to make out! Whatever can it be?
Let's see what comes after.... Oh, it goes on:--'because she is not
here.' Really it looks as if Aunt Maria had gone to Kingdom Come. Is
there anything she _would_ have taken because she was 'not there,' that
you know of? Is your tea all right?"

"It's very nice indeed, my dear. I think perhaps it might be the
omnibus, because Aunt M'riar _did_ take the omnibus that day she came to
see me. She was to come again, without the children, to see all
straight."

"H'm!--it may be the omnibus, spelt with an H. Suppose we accept
_homliburst_, and see how it works out! '... because she is not here.
She is going'--he's put a W in the middle of going--'to see Mrs.'--I
know this word is Mrs., but he's put the S in the middle and the R at
the end--'to see Mrs. Spicture tookted away by Dolly's lady to Towel.'
That wants a little thinking out." Gwen stopped to think it over, and
wondrous lovely she looked, thinking.

"Perhaps," said the old lady diffidently, "I can guess what it means,
because I know Dave. Suppose Aunt M'riar came the day we came away, and
found us gone! If she came up to say goodbye?..."

"No, that won't do! Because we came on Wednesday. This was written on
Thursday. It's dated 'On Firsday.' Did he mean that Aunt Maria had come
up to Sapps Court, but would not come to Cavendish Square because she
knew you had come here? It's quite possible. I don't wonder Mrs.
Marrable couldn't make it out." The old lady seemed to think the
interpretation plausible, and Gwen read on:--"'I say we had an
axdnt'--that really is beautifully spelt