' Dat's de way. I reckon I knows 'bout it."
"What makes you know this time, Harriet? Has the postman been, or a
bird whispered it to you, or have some of Waul's servants been making
a call here?"
"I don't 'ceive any of de Waul's servants, Miss Phill. I'se not
wanting my char'ctar hung on ebery tree top in de county. No, I draws
my s'picions in de properest way. Mass'r Richard git a letter dis
morning. Did he tell you, Miss Phill?"
"I have not seen him since breakfast."
"I thought he'd kind ob hold back 'bout dat letter. I knows dat letter
from Mass'r John. I'se sure ob it."
"Did you look--at the outside of it, I mean--Harriet?"
"No, Miss Phill, I didn't look neider at de outside, nor de inside;
I's not dat kind; I look at Mass'r Richard's face. Bless you, Miss
Phill! Mass'r Richard kaint hide nothing. If he was in love Harriet
would know it, quick as a flash--"
"I think not, Harriet."
"Den I tell you something, Miss Phill. Mass'r Richard been in love
eber since he come back from ober de Atterlantic Ocean. P'raps you
don't know, but I done found him out."
Phyllis laughed.
"I tell you how I knows it. Mass'r Richard allays on de lookout for
de postman; and he gits a heap ob dem bluish letters wid a lady's face
in de corner."
"That is Queen Victoria's face. You don't suppose Master Richard is
in love with Queen Victoria?"
"Miss Phill, de Fontaines would fall in love wid de moon, and think
dey pay her a compliment--dey mighty proud fambly, de Fontaines; but
I'se no such fool as not to know de lady's head am worth so many cents
to carry de letter.
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