"What? what?" panted Sybil.
"I seen 'em both, him and her, a sitting close together and a going on
jes like two lovyers as was going to be married to-morrow, or a bride
and groom as was married yesterday."
"How? how?"
"Well, ma'am, if her head wasn't a leaning on his shoulder, it was so
nigh it as it made no difference! And her hand was squeezed inter
hizzen, and her eyes was rolled up inter hizzen in the most be-devilling
way as ever I see in my life--for all the world as if she was a loving
of him, and a worshipping of him, and a praising of him, and a praying
to him, all in one gaze!"
"And he!--and he!"
"Oh, my dear honey! what can you expect of a poor, weak, he-man? He
looks down on her as if he enjoyed being loved and worshipped and
praised and prayed to, and he squeezes of her hand up to his mouth as if
he'd like to have eaten it!"
"Oh, my heart! my heart!" moaned Sybil, turning deadly pale.
Still, Miss Tabby, full of her own subject, scarcely noticed the pain
she was inflicting, so she continued: "And jes that minute they happened either to see or to hear me, I don't
know which. Anyways, they looks up, and--whew! they jumps apart as if a
fire-cracker had gone off between 'em! Well, I tells my lady as her
child is sick, and she jumps up, impatient like, to go and look after
him. And I comes away too. And that was just about ten minutes before
you got home yourself."
"Deceived! Betrayed! Scorned! Laughed at!" bitterly exclaimed Sybil.
"And that's all. And now look here, honey! Don't you go to taking on
about this here piece o' business! And don't you get mad long o' your
husband on any woman's account, whatever you do! Come down on the woman!
That's what you do. It is all her fault, not hizzen! He couldn't
help himself, poor innocent creetur! Lor! honey, I don't know much about
married life, bein' of a single woman myself; but I have heard my mother
say as men are mons'rous weak-minded poor creeturs, and need to be
guided by their wives; and if they an't ruled by their wives, they are
sure to be by some other woman! And it stands to reason it is more
respectable to be ruled by their wives! And so, honey, my advice to you
is, to send that bad woman about her business, and take that innocent
man firmly in hand."
And so Miss Tabby babbled on, no longer heeded by Sybil, who soon
slipped away and hid herself in one of the empty spare rooms.