THE VISIT OF THE WASHERMAN. 
which latter cause his work had either been delayed 
from the want of her usual assistance, or from his 
own absence, in search of the runaway, to the neglect 
of his daily avocations. Who knows, perhaps secret 
arrangements might have been entered into, between 
the happy couple, when a number . of customers were 
clamouring for their clean clothes, which were all let 
out on hire, that the wife should run off, and, of 
course, the man pursue her, both returning just at 
the very time when several large quantities of the 
rented out clothes we'^e due, in order to wash and 
return them to the proper owners, with the remark, 
“ Sorry kept so long : what can do ? Wife run away, 
and I run after her. Now, I catch her, and make 
plenty punish. Wash all the clothes very fast. 
Master must excuse; that wife make plenty trouble.’' 
We once had dealings with a washerman who had 
three wives, and he must not only have kept them 
at work but looked after them well too, for he was 
the best and most punctual that we ever employed 
His real original wife was a very old lady, but active 
enough for all that, especially with her tongue. But 
our readers will perhaps very naturally say, “ You 
need not inform us on this point : we require no 
information as to the point of a Tanlil old lady’s 
tongue, being perfectly aw^are that it is extremely 
sharp pointed.” This chief wife was old enough to 
be the man’s grandmother, for he himself was a very 
young man. So her chief duties, as wife in chief, were 
to look after and act as duenna over the other two 
wives, who were young and pretty. The wives un- 
dertook the duties of carrying about the clean clothes, 
to the respective owners of them, and during these 
excursions, of course the young ones, being strong 
and active, were made to carry them, the old lady 
bringing up the rear, of course carrying nothing 
except a large cotton umbrella, swung over her 
shoulder, somewhat in the Mrs. Gamp style. Arrived 
at the verandah of the bungalow, her onerous duty 
of gouvernante commenced in right good earnest. 
Having furled the huge umbrella, and set it up against 
the verandah post, she lifted the load of • clothes from 
the head of her charming convoy, and stared fixedly 
at master, who, seeing the arrival, had come out of 
the room. Possibly — it is human nature — he would 
fix his eyes on the handsome young girl, and the 
duenna, of course, would fix her eyes upon him, 
feeling no doubt some degree of irritation that her 
presence commanded no attention at all. Perhaps 
master would unconsciously exclaim, ‘‘ A regular deer : 
eyes like a fawn.” ‘‘ Deer and fawn indeed,” exclaims 
the wrathful old lady. Come, come, none of your 
