. Two girls on a barge. s. Two Camp Stools. Four Mattresses (very small), Four Pillows (very large). «One Milk Jug. TWO GIRLS ON A BARGE 169 One Looking-glass. * Two Lamps. Three Tumblers. One Teapot. Four Blankets. Six Cups and Five Saucers. Seventeen Plates. One small red Washstand. Three Knives. 6 Six Spoons and a Fork. Mrs. Bargee had lent us forks L lerto, three-pronged iron ones. They were rather sharp, butyou soon grew careful in these matters.* Then the people began to arrive—careful boat-women from the towing-path; small dealers fromthe town ; the inevitable Hebrew, of course ; theyou
. Two girls on a barge. s. Two Camp Stools. Four Mattresses (very small), Four Pillows (very large). «One Milk Jug. TWO GIRLS ON A BARGE 169 One Looking-glass. * Two Lamps. Three Tumblers. One Teapot. Four Blankets. Six Cups and Five Saucers. Seventeen Plates. One small red Washstand. Three Knives. 6 Six Spoons and a Fork. Mrs. Bargee had lent us forks L lerto, three-pronged iron ones. They were rather sharp, butyou soon grew careful in these matters.* Then the people began to arrive—careful boat-women from the towing-path; small dealers fromthe town ; the inevitable Hebrew, of course ; theyoung woman who was thinking of setting up house ;and Paterfamilias, the butcher, who came to seebecause he was passing by; and all the babies ofall of them ; and everybody who had nothing elseto do. We had been perplexed as to the conduct-ing and motive power of this sale, for neither i7o TWO GIRLS ON A BARGE Squif nor the Cadet would accept the post ofauctioneer. We need not have been uneasy. Itconducted t Good-day to ye, me dears, said an old barge-woman in the front, ye aint a-goin to sell theypretty cheers ? The Hebrew elbowed himselfnearer warily. TWO GIRLS ON A BARGE 171 Yes, responded Mrs. Bargee, wes not a-gointo keep em. Thinks Ill ave one 0 they, said the oldwoman, do proper for my house. Ow much dyewant for im, neighbour ? The affair had passed out of our hands alto-gether. Mrs. Bargee, flushed with her owngenerosity in parting with our furniture, asked what might be the depth of the barge-womansdesire for a cheer. The barge-woman thought ashilling—and the deck-chair departed, grasped inher capacious arms, to watch its fellows from theoutskirts of the acquisitive, whispering, nudginglittle crowd, round which Eccles danced the exu-berant Highland flings of a callow bantam. The insidious Hebrew bided his time, andcarried off all the mattresses by a masterly reluc-tance, which caused Mrs. Bargee to jump at himand the crowd to draw back in deference, bu
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