Colonel
Keith. At last I saw a man coming towards me with the empty basket, in
which he had inserted his head, like a bonnet, so that it rather veiled
his face. I remembered then that I was to "make as much noise as I
could," and quarrel with my supposed lover.

"Well, you are a proper young man!" said I, standing up. "How long do
you mean to keep me waiting, I should like to know? You think I've
nothing in the world to do, don't you, now? And Missis 'll say nought
to me, will she, for coming home late? Just you give me that basket--
men be such dolts!"

"Come, my girl,"--in a deprecating tone--said a voice, which I
recognised as that of Angus. I hoped nobody else would.

"I'm not your girl, and I'll not come unless I've a mind, neither!"
cried I, loudly, trying to put in practice her Ladyship's advice to be
as vulgar as I could. "I'm not a-going to have fellows dangling at my
heels as keeps me a-waiting--"

"Come, young woman, you just clear out," said the warder Cartwright.
"My word, lad, but she's a spitfire! You be wise, and think better of
it. Now then, be off, both of you!"

And he laid his hand on my shoulder, as if to push me through the door,
which I pretended to resent very angrily, and Angus flung down the
basket and began to strip up his sleeves, as if he meant to fight the
warder.

"Now, we can't do with that kind of thing here!" cried another man,
coming forward, whom I took to be somewhat above the rest. "Be off at
once--you must not offer to fight the King's warders. Turn them out,
Cartwright, and shut the door on them."

Angus caught up the basket and dashed through the door, and I followed,
making all the noise I could, and scolding everybody. We had only just
got outside the gate when Ephraim came running up, and snatched the
basket from Angus. There was a few minutes' pretended struggle between
them, and then Ephraim chased Angus into a side-street, and came back to
me, whom he began to scold emphatically for encouraging such idle
ne'er-do-wells as that rascal Clowes. I tried to give him as good as he
brought; and so we went on, jangling as we walked, until nearly within
sight of Mr Raymond's door. Then, declaring that I would not speak to
him if he could not behave better, and that I was not going to walk in
his leading-strings, I marched on with my head held very high, and
Ephraim trudged after me, looking as sulky as he knew how. We rapped on
the back-door, and Mr Raymon