know the kind!" I had never seen Mary Ellen so sour.
But our fears for our friends were set at rest, for at that instant, the door opened and Mr. Watlin entered, followed by the young man and Tony, with Anita perching on his shoulder. Mary Ellen could not refrain from a broad smile at the spectacle. The kitchen was filled with delightful odours. The spirits of everyone seemed to rise at a bound.
"Good-evening to ye, Tony," said Mary Ellen, and then she turned to our new friend.
"I don't know how you call yourself, sir," she said, bluntly.
"You may call me Harry, if you will," he replied, after a slight hesitation.
Mary Ellen, with a keen look at him, said, "Won't you sit down, sir? The victuals will be on the table in the dining-room directly. Mr. Watlin, would ye mind givin' me a hand with them dish-covers?"
Mr. Watlin assisted Mary Ellen deftly, and with an air of proprietorship. He was a stout young man with a blond pompadour, and a smooth-shaven ruddy face. As soon as an opportunity offered, I asked him whether he had brought his fiddle. He smiled enigmatically.
"You shall see wot you shall see, and 'ear wot you shall 'ear," he replied.
[147]
