“No, indeed, sir,” returned Mrs. Sparsit, with a gentle melancholy upon her.

“In a similar manner, ma’am,” said Bounderby, “I can wait, you know. If Romulus and Remus could wait, Josiah Bounderby can wait. They were better off in their youth than I was, however. They had a she-wolf for a nurse; I had only a she-wolf for a grandmother. She didn’t give any milk, ma’am; she gave bruises. She was a regular Alderney at that.”

“Ah!” Mrs. Sparsit sighed and shuddered.