Cranford

“I have been so much startled— no, I’ve not been at all startled— don’t mind me, my dear Miss Jessie— I’ve been very much surprised— in fact, I’ve had a caller, whom you knew once, my dear Miss Jessie”— Miss Jessie went very white, then flushed scarlet, and looked eagerly at Miss Jenkyns. “A gentleman, my dear, who wants to know if you would see him.” “Is it?— it is not”— stammered out Miss Jessie— and got no farther. “This is his card,” said Miss Jenkyns, giving it to Miss Jessie; and while her head was bent over it, Miss Jenkyns went through a series of winks and odd faces to me, and formed her lips into a long sentence, of which, of course, I could not understand a word. “May he come up?” asked Miss Jenkyns at last. “Oh, yes! certainly!” said Miss Jessie, as much as to say, this is your house, you may show any visitor where you like. She took up some knitting of Miss Matty’s and began to be very busy, though I could see how she trembled all over.