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Aunt Judy's Tales by Mrs. Alfred Gatty
page 50 of 178 (28%)

The speaker having at this point refreshed his ideas by a sip of the
pale-coloured tea, and the other ladies having laughed heartily in
anticipation of the fun that was coming, one of them observed:-

"You don't SAY so, ma'am--" then clicked astonishment with her tongue
against the roof of her mouth several times, and added impressively,
"PRAY let us hear!"

"I shall be most happy, ma'am," resumed the first speaker, with a
graceful inclination forwards. "Well!--you see--it was a party. I
had invited some of my most distinguished friends--really, ma'am,
FASHIONABLE friends, I may say, to dinner; and, ahem! you see--some
little anxiety always attends such affairs--even--in the best
regulated families!"

Here the speaker winked considerably at No. 4, and laughed very
loudly himself at his own joke.

"Dear me, you must excuse me, ma'am," he proceeded. "So, you see, I
felt a little fatigued by my morning's exertions, (to tell you the
truth, there had been no end of bother about everything!) and I
retired quietly up-stairs to take a short nap before the dressing-
bell rang. But I had not been laid down quite half an hour, when
there was a loud knock at the door. Really, ma'am, I felt quite
alarmed, but was just able to ask, 'Who's there?' Before I had time
to get an answer, however, the door was burst open by the housemaid.
Her face was absolute scarlet, and she sobbed out:-

"'Oh, ma'am, what shall we do?'
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