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up for ten minutes or so, old Patten partially
remonstrating in his harsh, brattling voice, partly joining
in. �You couldn�t insult some people� he said. �Some
people wasn�t worth insulting!�  Then his wife sailed
in to the fray, provoking the retort of Mrs Bradbury,
who seeing the odds awfully against her had till then
kept silence. �Youre� a lady!� said Mrs B. with cut-
ting irony! � Youre none!� was the retort �parcel of
pigs, that what you are!�  Here the shrill laughter of
the children indicated applause and gratification.  Poor
old Bradbury made some unintelligible Yorkshire ex-
clamation and left the table, just before this.     His
wife followed, having the parting salutation with Mrs
Patten as she rose.     The girl Anna remained � sat
it all out.    I really admired the girl�s pluck, not to
say brass.   All the room was in chorus against her
and her mama.     Miss Pierson � I hadn�t supposed
her the fool she is � with Gladdy and the eldest of the
King children were talking at Anna Bradbury. �Talk
about old maids!� said Miss Pierson �of course,
somebody would never be an old maid! fine match
she�d make! the steward of a steam boat perhaps!
ha! ha!�       Such a general eruption of spites and
bl bad blood and malice I never saw before.
Mrs Potter sat at her side-table presiding over the break
fast things, saying never a word.  And never a word
said I, nor should, had they got to throwing plates
or knives at each other.    I was glad to observe that