it from me first, you know you did, Gen'ral."

"If mother's bad, you shouldn't make a noise," said Bet, flinging the
two little boys away, with no particular gentleness. "There, of course
I'll kiss you, Gen'ral--poor little lad. Go down now and play on the
next landing, and keep quiet for the next ten minutes if it's in you."

"Bet," whispered the youngest boy, who was known as "Cap'n," "shall
I tell yer what mother did this morning?"

"No, no; I don't want to hear--go downstairs and keep quiet, _do._"

"Oh, yer'll be in such a steaming rage! She burnt yer book, yer _Jane
Eyre_ as yer wor reading--lor, it were fine--the bit as you read
to the Gen'ral and me, but she said as it wor a hell-fire book, and
she burnt it--I seed her, and so did the Gen'ral--she pushed it between
the bars with the poker. She got up in her night-things to do it, and
then she got back to bed again, and she panted for nearly an hour
after--didn't she, Gen'ral?"

"Yes--yes--come along, come along. Look at Bet! she's going to strike
some 'un--look at her; didn't we say as she'd be in a steaming rage.
Come, Cap'n."

The little boys scuttled downstairs, shouting and tumbling over one
another in their flight. Bet stood perfectly still on the landing. The
boys were right when they said she would be in a rage; her heart beat
heavily, her face was white, and for an instant she pressed her forehead
against the door of her mother's room and clenched her teeth.