Chaffey's--at all events,
Chaffey's of to-day--would not have known its head waiter could it
have seen and heard him as he thus held forth. The hostess showed a
fear lest Mr. Nelson should have more than enough of Cockney
angling; but he and Minnie were at one in good-natured
attentiveness, and in the end Mrs. Clover overcame her uneasiness.
A few days after this Minnie's mother, overcoming a secret scruple
and yielding to a long desire, allowed herself to write a letter to
Mr. Gammon. It was a very simple, not ill-composed letter; its
object to express regret for the ill temper she had shown, now many
weeks ago, on her parting with Mr. Gammon in Kennington Road. Would
he not look in at the china shop just in the old way? It would
please her very much, for indeed she had never meant or dreamt a
termination to their friendship. They had known each other so long.
Would not Mr. Gammon overlook her foolishness, remembering all she
had had to go through? So she signed herself his "friend always the
same," and having done so looked at the last line rather timidly,
and made haste to close the letter.
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