3 Jul 2009
A Gentleman making a morning call ...
upon a very stingy, but rich old widow, was asked by her in desultory conversation, pour passer le temps—
“Do you draw, Mr. Larkins?”
“Oh, in my way I do,” replied that gentleman.
“I should really like to see a specimen,” said the widow.
“Well,” replied the amateur, “just order a bottle of claret, and I’ll see what I can do at a cork, and you may as well tell John to bring up a biseuit, for it’s about lunch-time I fancy.”
The widow did as requested, and gave John orders for a perpetual “not at home,” to Mr. Larkins’s morning calls for the future.
