Our Gentleman Boarder 



''Ah, well, there's one good thing," 

 continued Sukie, rubbing up the tea-caddy 

 with her apron, "stranger he is, but he's 

 not one of them nasty French critturs." 



Mary told her a little stiffly that if she 

 could not speak in civil fashion of our 

 friends she need make no mention of them. 

 The little packet from Dieppe not in- 

 frequently brought us a visitor at that 

 period, for my brother William had been 

 in France, and had formed several friend- 

 ships there. Sukie had a great dislike of 

 all foreigners, and. being still a little ruffled 

 from her marketing terrors, was glad of an 

 opportunity for airing her silly prejudice, 



" I don't know if it's rude or not," she 

 said, obstinately, "but true it /s ; any one 

 as don't squint could see at a glance that 

 they ain't like us; they look quite different; 

 they ain't natural, to my mind. And, then, 

 their silly ways! I've no patience with 

 them to hear them jabberin' their non- 

 sense at you and you jabberin' it all back 

 again — it do rile me ! " 



" It's not nonsense at all, Susan," broke 

 in my mother, " it's their language, and 

 Miss Mary speaks it beautifully — every 

 one tells me so." 



" Language, indeed ! " she chirped, in an 

 amused fashion. " Why can't they speak 

 ii6 



