Nancy sat down on the floor before
Ellen to obey this order; and, tired and exhausted as she was,
Ellen felt the different manner in which her hands and feet
were waited upon.
"How did you get into this scrape?" said Nancy; "_this_ was none
of my doings anyhow. It'll never be dry weather, Ellen, where
you are. I won't put on my Sunday go-to-meeting clothes when I
go a walking with you. You had ought to ha' been a duck or a
goose, or something like that. — What's that for, Mr. Van
Brunt!"
This last query, pretty sharply spoken, was in answer to a
light touch of that gentleman's hand upon Miss Nancy's ear,
which came rather as a surprise. He deigned no reply.
"You're a fine gentleman!" said Nancy, tartly.
"Have you done what I gave you to do?" said Mr. Van Brunt,
coolly.
"Yes — there!" said Nancy, holding up Ellen's bare feet on one
hand, while the fingers of the other, secretly applied in
ticklish fashion to the soles of them, caused Ellen suddenly
to start and scream.
"Get up!" said Mr. Van Brunt. Nancy didn't think best to
disobey. "Mother, han't you got nothing you want Nancy to do?"
"Sally," said Mrs. Van Brunt, "you and Nancy go and fetch here
a couple of pails of hot water — right away."
"Go, and mind what you are about," said Mr. Van Brunt; "and
after that keep out of this room, and don't whisper again till
I give you leave.
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