Hours flew like seconds, while Percy narrated his adventures by sea and land, and listened to Fanny's account of herself; the old duenna, meanwhile, walking uneasily up and down the hall, occasionally making an errand into the sitting-room, and muttering to herself as she went out, that she had heard before of boarding-school "cousins," and that he was altogether too handsome a man to be allowed such a long _tête-à-tête_ with Miss Fanny; and so she reported at head-quarters, but the Principal being just then unfortunately engaged in examining a new French teacher, who had applied for employment, could not give the affair the attention Miss Miffit insisted upon.
Mr. Thurston Grey, too, was on the anxious seat; for the mischievous Kate had informed him "that Fanny was holding a protracted meeting in the best parlor, with the handsomest man she ever saw."
Nothing like a rival to precipitate matters! The declaration which had so long been trembling on Mr. Grey's lips, found its way into a billet-doux, and was forwarded to Fanny that very night, and presented by Kate in the presence of Cousin John, "to test," as she said, "the quality of his _cousin_-ship."
Cousin John was not jealous of "little Fanny!" how absurd! Little Fanny! whom he had carried in his arms, who had slept on his breast. In fact he laughed quite merrily at the idea, louder than was at all necessary to convince himself of the nonsense of the thing, when he read Mr. Grey's proposal; (for Fanny had no secrets from "Cousin John.") True he wound up his watch twice that morning, and put on odd stockings, and found it quite impossible to decide which of his cravats he should wear that day, and looked in the glass very attentively for some time, and forgot to smoke, but he wasn't _jealous_ of little Fanny. Of course he wasn't!
"A gin-sling, waiter! Strong, hot, and quick; none of your temperance mixtures for me; AND waiter, here, a beef-steak smothered in onions; AND waiter, some crackers and cheese, and be deuced quick about it, too. I'm not a man to be trifled with, as somebody besides you will find out, I fancy," said Mr. Scraggs, hitching his heels to the mantel, as the waiter closed the door.
Mr. Scraggs was a plethoric, pursy, barrel-looking individual, with a peony complexion, pink, piggy eyes, and a nose sky-wardly inclined. His neck-cloth was flashy and greasy; his scarlet vest festooned with a mock chain; his shirt bosom fastened with green studs, and his nether limbs encased in a pair of snake-skin pantaloons. As the waiter closed the door to execute his order, he delivered himself of the following soliloquy, between the whiffs of his cigar: