"Never,whilst I am in this house,"cried out Mrs.Gashleigh,indignantly;"never in a Christian ENGLISH household;never shall such sinful waste be permitted by ME.If you wish me to dine,Rosa,you must get a dinner less EXPENSIVE.The Right Honorable Lord Fortyskewer could dine,sir,without these wicked luxuries,and I presume my daughter's guests can.""Madame is perfectly at liberty to decide,"said M.Cavalcadour.
"I came to oblige Madame and my good friend Mirobolant,not myself.""Thank you,sir,I think it WILL be too expensive,"Rosa stammered in a great flutter;"but I am very much obliged to you.""Il n'y a point d'obligation,Madame,"said Monsieur Alcide Camille Cavalcadour in his most superb manner;and,making a splendid bow to the lady of the house,was respectfully conducted to the upper regions by little Buttons,leaving Rosa frightened,the cook amazed and silent,and Mrs.Gashleigh boiling with indignation against the dresser.
Up to that moment,Mrs.Blowser,the cook,who had come out of Devonshire with Mrs.Gashleigh (of course that lady garrisoned her daughter's house with servants,and expected them to give her information of everything which took place there)up to that moment,I say,the cook had been quite contented with that subterraneous station which she occupied in life,and had a pride in keeping her kitchen neat,bright,and clean.It was,in her opinion,the comfortablest room in the house (we all thought so when we came down of a night to smoke there),and the handsomest kitchen in Lilliput Street.