i think my memory has got as short as my breath said mr looking at me and shaking his head for i don t remember you don t you remember your coming to the coach to meet mc and my having breakfast here and our riding out to together you and i and mrs and mr too � who wasn t her husband then of david � hy lord bless my soul mr after being by bis surprise into a fit of you don t say so i my dear you recollect dear me yes � the party was a lady i think my mother i rejoined to � be � sure said mr touching my waistcoat with his forefinger and there was a little child too there was two parties the little party was laid along with the other party over at it was of course dear me and how have you been since very well i thanked him as i hoped he had been too oh nothing to at you know said mr i find my breath gets short but it seldom gets longer as a man gets older i take it as it comes and make the most of it that s the best way ain t it mr again in consequence of laughing and was assisted out of his fit by his daughter who now stood close beside us dancing her smallest child on the counter dear me said mr yes to be two parties why in that very ride if you believe me the day was named for my to marry do name it sir says yes do father says and now he s come into the business and look here the youngest laughed and her hair upon her temples as her father put one of his fat fingers into the hand of the child she was dancing on the counter two parties of course said mr nodding his head ex so and s at work at this minute on a grey one with silver nails not this � the of the dancing child upon the counter � by a good two inches � will you take something i thanked him but declined let me see said mr s the s wife � s the s sister � she had something to do with your family she was in service there sure my answering in the affirmative gave him great satisfaction i believe my breath will get long next my memory s getting so much so said mr well sir we ve got a young relation of hers here under articles to us that has as elegant a taste in the business � i assure you i don t believe there s a in england can touch her � not little em ly said i involuntarily em ly s her name said mr and she s little too but if you believe me she has a face of her own that half the women in this town are mad against her nonsense father cried my dear said mr i don t say it s the case with you at me but i say that half the women in � ah and in five mile round � are mad against that girl then she should have kept to her own station in life father said and not have given them any hold to talk about her and then they couldn t have done it couldn t have done it my dear retorted mr couldn t the personal and experience have done it is that your knowledge of life is there that any woman couldn t do that she shouldn t do � especially on the subject of another woman s good looks i really thought it was all over with mr after he had uttered this he to that extent and his breath all his attempts to recover it with that obstinacy that i fully expected to see his head go down behind the counter and his little black breeches with the rusty little of ribbons at the knees come quivering up in a last ineffectual struggle at length however he got better though he still panted hard and was so exhausted that he was obliged to sit on the stool of the shop desk you see he said wiping his head and breathing with difficulty she hasn t taken much to any companions here she hasn t taken kindly to any particular acquaintances and friends not to mention in consequence an ill natured story got about that em ly wanted to be a lady now my opinion is that it came into circulation principally on account of her sometimes saying at the school that if she was a lady she would like to do so and so for her uncle � don t you see � and buy him such and such fine things i assure you mr she has said so to me i returned eagerly when we were both children mr nodded his head and rubbed his chin just so then out of a very little she could dress herself you see better than most others could out of a deal and that made things unpleasant moreover she rather what might be called � i u go so far as to say what i should call myself said mr � didn t know her own mind quite � a little spoiled � and couldn t at first exactly bind herself down no more than that was ever said against her no father said mrs that s the worst i believe so when she got a situation said mr to keep a old lady company they didn t very well agree and she didn t stop at last she came here for three years nearly two of em are over and she has been as good a as ever was worth any six is she worth any six now yes father replied never say 