in de truckle-bed in
her chamber; if so, you dress more quieter as mouse, you wake not her
up. She wakes, she calls--you hand her garments, you dress her hair.
If she be wedded lady, you not to her chamber go ere her lord be away.
Mind you be neat in your dress, and lace you well, and keep your hair
tidy, wash your face, and your hands and feet, and cut short your nails.
Every morning you shall your teeth clean. Take care, take much care
what you do. You walk gravely, modestly; you talk low, quiet; you carry
you sad [Note 1] and becomingly. Mix water plenty with your wine at
dinner: you take not much wine, dat should shocking be! You carve de
dishes, but you press not nobody to eat--dat is not good manners. You
wash hands after your lady, and you look see there be two seats betwixt
her and you--no nearer you go [Note 2]. You be quiet, quiet! sad, sober
always--no chatter fast, no scamper, no loud laugh. You see?"

"I see, and I thank you," said Amphillis. "I hope I am not a giglot."

"You are not--no, no! Dere be dat are. Not you. Only mind you not so
become. Young maids can be too careful never, never! You lose your
good name in one hour, but in one year you win it not back."

And Regina's plump round face went very sad, as if she remembered some
such instance of one who was dear to her.

"_Ach so_!--Well! den if your lady have daughters young, she may dem set
in your care. You shall den have good care dey learn courtesy [Note 3],
and gaze not too much from de window, and keep very quiet in de bower
[Note 4]. And mind you keep dem--and yourself too--from de mans. Mans
is bad!"

Amphillis was able to say, with a clear conscience, that she had no
hankering after the society of those perilous creatures.

"See you," resumed Regina, with some warmth, "dere is one good man in
one hundert mans. No more! De man you see, shall he be de hundert man,
or one von de nine and ninety? What you tink?"

"I think he were more like to be of the ninety and nine," said Amphillis
with a little laugh. "But how for the women, Mistress Regina? Be they
all good?"

Regina shook her head in a very solemn manner.

"Dere is bad mans," answered she, "and dey is bad: and dere is bad
womans, and dey is badder; and dere is bad angels, and dey is baddest of
all. Look you, you make de sharpest vinegar von de sweetest wine.
Amphillis, you are good maid, I tink; keep you good! And dat will say,
keep you to yourself, and r