You'll excuse my saying

　　Miss Murdstone, during  the latter portion  of the contest,  had dismounted, and was now  waiting with  her brother  at the  bottom of  the steps,  until my aunt should be at leisure to receive them.  My aunt, a little ruffled by the  combat, marched past  them into  the house,  with great  dignity, and  took no notice of their presence, until they were announced by Janet.

　　'Shall I go away, aunt?' I asked, trembling.

　　'No, sir,'  said my  aunt.  'Certainly  not!'  With  which she  pushed me into a corner near her, and fenced Me in with a chair, as if it were a prison or a  bar of justice.  This position I continued to occupy during the whole interview, and from it I now saw Mr. and Miss Murdstone enter the room.

　　'Oh!' said my  aunt, 'I was  not aware at  first to whom  I had the  pleasure of objecting.   But I  don't allow  anybody to  ride over  that turf.   I make   no exceptions.  I don't allow anybody to do it.'

　　'Your regulation is rather awkward to strangers,' said Miss Murdstone.

　　'Is it!' said my aunt.

　　Mr. Murdstone seemed afraid of a renewal of hostilities, and interposing began:

　　'Miss Trotwood!'

　　'I beg  your pardon,'  observed my  aunt with  a keen  look.  'You  are the  Mr. Murdstone  who  married the  widow  of my  late  nephew, David  Copperfield,  of Blunderstone Rookery! - Though why Rookery, I don't know!'


　　'I am,' said Mr. Murdstone.

　　'You'll excuse my saying,  sir,' returned my aunt,  'that I think it  would have been a much better and happier thing if you had left that poor child alone.'

　　'I so far agree with what Miss Trotwood has remarked,' observed Miss  Murdstone, bridling, 'that I  consider our lamented  Clara to have  been, in all  essential respects, a mere child.'

　　'It is a comfort  to you and me,  ma'am,' said my aunt,  'who are getting on  in life, and are not  likely to be made  unhappy by our personal  attractions, that nobody can say the same of us.'