And after a while, he saw the latch raised cautiously, and the door
begin to open very slowly and noiselessly. It had opened thus
perhaps some six inches when he spoke: "Is that you, Mr. Shrig?"
Immediately the door became stationary and, after some brief pause a
voice issued from behind it, a voice somewhat wheezing and hoarse.
"Which your parding I ax, sir," said the voice, "which your parding
I 'umbly ax, but it ain't, me being a respectable female, sir, name
o' Snummitt, sir--charing, sir, also washing and clear-starching, sir!"
Hereupon, the door having opened to its fullest, Barnabas saw a stout,
middle-aged woman whose naturally unlovely look had been further
marred by the loss of one eye, while the survivor, as though
constantly striving to make amends, was continually rolling itself
up and down and to and fro, in a manner quite astonishing to behold.
"Which my name is Snummitt," she repeated, bobbing a curtsy and
momentarily eclipsing the rolling eye under the poke of a very large
bonnet, "Mrs. Snummitt, sir, which though a widder I'm respectable
and of 'igh character and connections. Which me 'aving only one heye
ain't by no manner of means to be 'eld ag'in me, seeing as it were
took away by a act o' Providence in the shape of another lady's
boot-'eel sixteen summers ago come Michaelmas."
"Indeed," said Barnabas, seeing Mrs. Snummitt had paused for breath,
"but what--"
"Which I were to give you Mr. Bimby's compliments, sir, and ax if
you could oblige him with the loan of a wine-glass?"
"Mr. Bimby?"
"Over-'ead, sir--garret! You may 'ave 'eard 'im, now and then--flute,
sir, 'armonious, though doleful."
"And he wants a wine-glass, does he?" said Barnabas, and forthwith
produced that article from a rickety corner-cupboard and handed it
to Mrs. Snummitt, who took it, glanced inside it, turned it
upside-down, and rolled her eye at Barnabas eloquently.
"What more?" he inquired.
"Which I would mention, sir, or shall we say, 'int, as if you could
put a little drop o' summat inside of it--brandy, say--'t would be
doing a great favor."
"Ah, to be sure!" said Barnabas. And, having poured out a stiff
quantum of the spirit, he gave it to Mrs. Snummit, who took it,
curtsied, and rolling her solitary orb at the bottle on the table,
smiled engagingly.
"Which I would thank you kindly on be'alf o' Mr. Bimby, sir, and,
seeing it upon the tip o' your tongue to ax me to partake, I begs to
say 'Amen,' with a slice o' lemming cut thin, and thank you from my
'eart."
"I fear I have no lemon," began Barnabas.
"Then we won't say no more about it, sir, not a word. 'Evings forbid
as a lemming should come betwixt us seeing as I am that shook on
account o' pore, little Miss Pell."