"But I know very well they were his!" said Miss Grogram, who was not
an impartial hearer. "Of course they were; whose else's should they
be?"

"I'm sure I hope they were his," said one of the young ladies,
almost crying.

"I wish I'd never taken it," said the other.

"Dear, dear, dear!" said Mrs. Jones.

"I'll give you my needle-case, Miss Grogram," said Aunt Sally.

I had sat hitherto silent during the whole scene, meditating how
best I might confound the red-nosed harpy. Now, I thought, was the
time for me to strike in.

"I really think, ladies, that there has been some mistake," said I.

"There has been no mistake at all, sir!" said Miss Grogram.

"Perhaps not," I answered, very mildly; "very likely not. But some
affair of a similar nature was very much talked about in Antwerp
yesterday."

"Oh laws!" again ejaculated Mrs. Jones.

"The affair I allude to has been talked about a good deal,
certainly," I continued. "But perhaps it may be altogether a
different circumstance."