she was sure to bring them a present in her trunk. But Lull went about
the house, getting ready a room in the nursery passage, dusting the
drawing-room, and opening the windows, with a look in her eyes that was
not of pleasure.

"Don't ye want Aunt Charlotte to come?" Jane asked her.

"Want her?" Lull snapped. "Why couldn't she come when she was wanted
sore? What kep' her then, an' me prayin' night an' day for her?"

Jane stopped in the middle of the drawing-room floor with a soup tureen
full of dog-daisies in her hands.

"There, I'll quit bletherin'!" Lull added. "None of yous mind, thank
God, but--if I had 'a' had a young sister struck dumb in morshial agony
haythen Turks wouldn't 'a' kep' me from her."

Lull flounced out of the room, and Jane was left standing in the middle
of the floor. She had never heard Lull speak like that before. What
did she mean? A young sister, she had said; their mother was the only
sister Aunt Charlotte had. When was their mother struck dumb and Aunt
Charlotte wouldn't come? Jane went out to the stable, where Andy
Graham was putting the horse in the car. Honeybird was brushing his
top hat for him at the far end of the stable, but Jane did not see her.

"Andy, when was mother struck dumb in morshial agony?" she said.

Andy dropped a trace. "By the holy poker! what put that in yer head?"
he said.

"Lull said Aunt Charlotte wouldn't come when she was wanted sore, an'
her young sister was struck dumb in morshial agony," said Jane.

"An' a fine ould clashbag Lull was to say the word," said Andy, picking
up the trace.

"Tell us, Andy, an' I'll niver name it," said Jane.

"See here, Miss Jane," said Andy, "it's no talk for the likes a' yous
to be hearin'. Sure, there's niver a wan would mind it at all if it
wasn't for that ould targe of a Lull, an' it be to be as far back as
the flood for her to forget."

"Go on, Andy; tell a buddy," Jane begged, "an' I'll not come over it to
a livin' sowl."

"Sure, ye know all I know myself," said Andy. "The mistress was tarble
bad, an' they sent for yer Aunt Charlotte, an' she wouldn't come."

"Why wouldn't she?" said Jane.

"God knows," said Andy. "She wouldn't, and Lull was clean dimented at
the time for the want of her. An' I'm tellin' ye it got yer Aunt
Charlotte an ill name about the place. There's many's the wan has it
agin her to this day."

"Have you, Andy?" said Jane.

"Is it me! God forgive me, I could bear no m