Quality Street

COME HERE. COME HERE.

THE POSTMAN.

"AND SO THE

DAY PASSED, AND EVENING CAME."

A LETTER, MUM.

KATE CHAPTAN:

HAS BOUGHT SOME CAKE.

WHOM CAN SHE BE:

EXPECTING TO TEA?

WE'LL FIND OUT.

IF YOU WISH, MARY.

RESUME, FANNIE, DEAR.

"THE VILLAGE CLOCK

VERILY TOLLED THE HOUR.

"1...

"2...

"3...

"4...

5."

IT'S THAT IMPERTINEN RECRUITING SERGEANT.

I PASSED HIM:

ON THE STREET YESTERDAY.

HE CLOSED:

ONE OF HIS EYES AT ME,

THEN QUICKLY OPENED I AGAIN.

I KNEW WHAT HE MEANT.

RESUME, FANNIE, DEAR.

"SUDDENLY,

OUT OF THE DARKNESS,

THERE EMERGED A MAN"...

"THE UNHAPPY CAPTAIN OF A

STANDING LOST IN REVELING,

"WHEN, WITHOUT PAUSING TO

ADVERTISE HER MISINTENTIONS,

"HE TOOK BOTH HER HANDS

IN HIS.

"SLOWLY HE GATHERED HER

IN HIS ARMS:

AND RAINED HOT,

BURNING KISSES-"

SISTER!

MISS SUSAN,

I AM INDEED SURPRISED

YOU SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT SUCH

AN AMAZING INDELICATE TALE

FROM THE LIBRARY.

I DEEPLY REGRET,

MISS WILLOUGHBY.

OH, FANNIE...

IF YOU PLEASE.

I THANK YOU.

MISS SUSAN IS LOOKING

AT THE END.

FORGIVE MY PARTIALITY

FOR ROMANCE.

IT IS, I FEAR,

THE MARK OF AN OLD MAID.

OH, SUSAN, THAT WORD.

IT'S WHAT I AM, MARY.

AND YOU, TOO, MY DEAR.

I'M HAPPY PHOEBE

WILL NOT BE AN OLD MAID.

OH, PHOEBE.

I BEG YOUR PARDON.

WITH YOUR PERMISSION,

MISS SUSAN,

I SHALL PUT ON MY WRAPS.

YOU HAVE IT,

MARY, DEAR.

MISS SUSAN, DO YOU MEAN

THAT MR. B

HAS PROPOSED TO HER?

HENRIETTA,

I EXPECT IT HOURLY.

YOU SEEM STRANGELY

EXCITED, PHOEBE.

SUSAN, I ME A CERTAIN INDIVIDUAL.

MR. B?

OH, MY DEAR,

YOU'RE TREMBLING.

NO. OH. OH, NO.

YOU PUT YOUR HAND

TO YOUR HEART.

DID I?

MY LOVE, HAS HE OFFERED?

SUSAN!

NOT YET.

BUT I WAS SITTING

WITH AN UNHAPPY WOMAN

WHOSE HUSBAND HAD-

HOW DO YOU DO,

MISS PHOEBE?

SUSAN, I HAVE NO WISH

TO ALARM YOU,

BUT I AM OF OPINION

THERE IS A MAN IN THE HOUSE.

A MAN?

TOBACCO SMOKE.

THE KITCHEN.

I'VE BEEN JUS A LITTLE AFRAID OF PATTY.

PATTY, I HOPE WE MAY NO HURT YOUR FEELINGS, BUT-

ARE YOU IMPLICATING, MUM,

THAT I AM A FOLLOWER?

OH, NO.

SO BE IT.

PATTY, THERE IS A MAN

IN THE HOUSE.

TO THE DOOR WITH HIM.

AND IF HE REFUSES?

OH, DEAR.

IF HE REFUSES,

SEND HIM HERE TO ME.

LIONHEARTED PHOEBE.

SERGEANT, I'M WISHFUL

TO SCOLD YOU,

BUT WOULD YOU BE SO OBLIGING

AS TO STAND ON THAT PAPER

WHILE I DO IT?

WITH ALL THE PLEASURE

IN LIFE.

A SHUDDER:

GOES THROUGH ME:

WHEN I SEE YOU:

IN THE STREETS:

ENTICING THOSE:

POOR YOUNG MEN.

I TELL THEM WHAT THEY'RE

WISHFUL TO HEAR, MUM.

THERE HAVE BEEN 5 OF THEM ALL THIS WEEK

LISTENING TO ME AND

SHOWING ME THEIR HEELS,

BUT BY A GRAND STROKE

OF LUCK,

I HAVE THEM AT LAST.

LUCK?

THE LUCKIEST, MUM,

FOR A GENTLEMAN OF

THIS TOWN HAS ENLISTED.

THAT GAVE THEM:

THE PUSH FORWARD.

A GENTLEMAN:

OF THIS TOWN IS ENLISTED?

YES.

SERGEANT, WHO?

THAT'D BE A SECRET, MUM.

BE SO OBLIGING.

THAT I CANNOT DO.

OH, BUT YOU MUST.

YOU MUST.

UM, SERGEANT, I'VE NO BEEN SAYING THE THINGS

I MEANT TO SAY TO YOU.

WOULD YOU PLEASE EXCUSE MY

TURNING YOU OUT OF THIS HOUSE

SOMEWHAT VIOLENTLY?

OH, BLESS YOUR HEART,

MUM, I'M USED TO IT.

I WON'T REALLY HURT YOU.

THANK YOU KINDLY.

BE GONE, SIR!

I FORGET, SIR,

I SHALL PERMIT NO FOLLOWERS IN MY HOUSE.

SHOULD I DISCOVER YOU

IN MY KITCHEN AGAIN,

I SHALL PITCH YOU OU NECK AND CLASP!

BE GONE!

GO.

HOW SWEET.

PHOEBE, WE COULD NO BUT ADMIRE YOU.

YES-I MEAN,

COULDN'T YOU?

COME, HENRIETTA.

CONGRATULATIONS,

PHOEBE.

PHOEBE, DEAR,

I WISH YOU VERY HAPPY.

MISS PHOEBE,

I GIVE YOU JOY.

SUSAN, YOU'VE BEEN TALKING

TO THEM ABOUT MR. B.

I COULDN'T HELP IT.

OH, SUSAN!

PHOEBE, WHAT IS IT?

YOU HAVE TO TELL ME.

WELL, AS YOU KNOW,

I WAS SITTING:

WITH AN UNHAPPY WOMAN

WHOSE HUSBAND:

WAS KILLED IN THE WAR,

AND AS I CAME OU OF THE COTTAGE,

HE WAS PASSING.

AND...

HE OFFERED ME:

HIS ESCORT.

AT FIRST HE WAS:

VERY SILEN AS HE HAS OFTEN BEEN

OF LATE.

WE KNOW WHY.

PLEASE NOT TO SAY

THAT I KNOW WHY.

SUDDENLY, HE STOPPED

AND SWUNG HIS CANE.

YOU KNOW HOW GALLANTLY

HE SWINGS HIS CANE?

YES INDEED.

HE SAID,

"I HAVE SOMETHING

"I'M WISHFUL TO TELL YOU, MISS PHOEBE.

PERHAPS YOU CAN GUESS

WHAT IT IS."

TO SAY I COULD GUESS IS TO

WOULD HAVE BEEN UNLADYLIKE.

I SAID, "PLEASE

NOT TO TELL ME:

IN THE PUBLIC:

THOROUGHFARE,"

TO WHICH HE:

INSTANTLY REPLIED,

"THEN I SHALL CALL AND

TELL YOU THIS AFTERNOON."

PHOEBE.

SUSAN, TO THINK THA IT HAS ALL HAPPENED

IN A SINGLE YEAR.

SUCH A GENTILE COMPETENCY

AS HE CAN OFFER.

A PHYSICIAN.

AND SO DASHING.

AND, SUSAN,

HOW AMUSING HE IS.

YES, ISN'T HE?

THE DAY HE FIRS DRANK TEA IN THIS HOUSE.

HE SMOKED HIS PIPE

IN THIS ROOM.

SMOKING IS INDEED

A DREADFUL HABIT.

BUT THERE'S

- THERE'S SOMETHING SO DASHING ABOUT IT.

PHOEBE, I HAVE

A WEDDING GIFT FOR YOU.

SUSAN, NOT YET.

IT'S BEEN READY

FOR A LONG TIME.

I MEANT IT FOR MYSELF.

IT WAS YEARS AGO.

I HAD HOPED THAT HE-

HIS NAME WAS WILLIAM.

BUT I'M AFRAID I WAS TOO

UNATTRACTIVE, MY LOVE.

SWEETEST, DEAREST.

HE WAS A NAVAL OFFICER.

BUT SOMETHING HAPPENED-

A MISS CECILY PEMBELTON.

AND THEY'RE

QUITE BIG BOYS NOW.

SUSAN, WHAT IS IT?

A WEDDING GOWN,

MY DEAR.

EVEN PLAYING WITH IT...

WE CAN'T HELP IT, PHOEBE.

WHEN WE ARE YOUNG,

WE HAVE ROMANTIC IDEAS

JUST AS IF:

WE WERE PRETTY.

LONG BEFORE IT WAS FINISHED,

I KNEW HE WOULD NOT OFFER...

BUT I FINISHED IT.

AND THEN I PUT IT AWAY.

BUT OF LATE, I'VE TAKEN

IT OUT, ALTERED IT.

SUSAN,

I COULDN'T WEAR IT.

OH, HOW SWEET.

HOW BEAUTIFUL.

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