“Thin I dashed up to me room for a squint in me book av Useful Knowledge. But niver a word cud I find about intertaining the nobility so I had to be falling back on what I cud rimimber av the doings at Castle McDermott. It do be a pity I niver thought av slipping into me dress-up dress. But I was a bit excited-like. Whin I’d finished ixplaining to her that I’d phoned for ye nothing wud do her but I must show her all round the place. She said she wanted to see a rale Canadian farm at close range. It did be suiting me for I didn’t be knowing if it was manners to lave her all alone and to sit wid a countess in the Big Parlor was a fearsome thought. I did be taking her all through the orchard and the silver bush and the cats’ burying ground. And thin all through the graveyard and telling her all the ould stories…and didn’t she laugh over Waping Willy! Thin whin we wint back to the house she wanted to see me kitchen…and me not knowing how Just Dog wud behave. Whin we got in it she sez to me, just like one old frind to another, ‘Cud ye let me have a cup av tay, Judy…and what is that delicious odor I smell?’ Well, girls dear, ye know just what it was…me bit av baked sausage and pittaties I had in the oven for Tillytuck and mesilf, ivery one ilse being away. ‘Will ye be giving me a taste av it?’ she sez, wheedling-like. ‘Right here in the kitchen, Judy, where the scint av lilacs is coming in through that windy, Judy,’ sez she, ‘and the very same white kittens that hung on me nursery wall more years ago than I’ll admit aven to you, Judy,’ sez she. Sure and I cudn’t stand up to a countess so she had her way. I got out the bist silver taypot and one av the parlor chairs for her. But she plunked hersilf down on ould Nehemiah’s and sez, sez she, ‘I want me tay right out av that ould brown pot. There’s nothing like it for flavor,’ sez she. And nothing wud do but I must sit down wid her and take a share av the sausages and pittaties. But I wasn’t after ating minny, girls dear…me appetite wasn’t wid me. Siven av thim sausages disappeared and I et only the one av thim. Think av it, me drinking tay wid a countess, and crooking me liddle finger rale illigant whin I happened to think av it! Madam Binnie’ll niver be belaving it. And wud ye be belaving it, girls dear? She was at Castle McDermott hersilf whin she was a girleen and tould me all about the ould place. It did be making me fale I must be going to see it afore long. Prisently Bold-and-Bad comes along asking ‘have ye room for a cat?’ and jumps up in her lap. Oh, oh, ye saw for yersilves she was a different brade from Cousin Nicholas. Well, we did be sitting there colloguing, her and me and the cats, rale cozy and frindly, whin I heard a tarrible noise in the back porch. It didn’t sound like innything on earth but I did be knowing it was Tillytuck gargling his throat, him thinking it was a bit sore this morning. I did be glancing at the countess a bit apprehensive-like but she was admiring me crame cow and taking no notice apparently. I was fearing whin he finished wid his throat he’d be breaking out into a Psalm but niver did I think he’d have the presumption to come in. I was clane flabbergasted whin I saw him standing in the dureway. I did be giving him the high sign to take himsilf off but he paid no attintion and was all for setting down on her ladyship’s hat which she had tossed on a chair careless-like. I got it away just in time, girls dear, and down he plumped. Wud ye belave it, her ladyship smiled at him in that nice way she has and passed a remark about the weather. And didn’t Tillytuck tell her rain was coming bekase he had rheumatism in his arms! And thin tilting back on the hind-legs av his chair, wid his thumbs tucked into his bilt, casual-like, he wint on to tell her one av his ‘traggedies’…how the lion had got out av his cage and clawed him. ‘It was a lippard last time,’ I cudn’t hilp saying, sarcastic-like. But her ladyship tuk his measure and I cud see she was lading him on, and him thinking he was showing me how to hobnob wid the quality. Thin Just Dog started to throw one av his fits but Tillytuck whisked him out so quick I’m not thinking her ladyship tuk it in. What wid it all, me nerves were getting a bit jumpy and niver was there a more welcome sound to me ears than the ould Russell mare’s trot up the lane.”