apricious, fascinating, youthful, Mrs. Verner was of
excessive popularity in the country, and a sojourn at Verner's Pride
grew to be eagerly sought. The women liked the attractive master; the
men bowed to the attractive mistress; and Verner's Pride was never free.
On the contrary, it was generally unpleasantly crammed; and Mrs. Tynn,
who was a staid, old-fashioned housekeeper, accustomed to nothing beyond
the regular, quiet household maintained by the late Mr. Verner, was
driven to the verge of desperation.

"It would be far pleasanter if we had only half the number of guests,"
Lionel had said to his wife in the winter. He no longer remonstrated
against _any_: he had given that up as hopeless. "Pleasanter for them,
pleasanter for us, pleasanter for the servants."

"The servants!" slightingly returned Sibylla. "I never knew before that
the pleasure of servants was a thing to be studied."

"But their comfort is. At least, I have always considered so, and I hope
I always shall. They complain much, Sibylla."

"Do they complain to you?"

"They do. Tynn and his wife say they are nearly worked to death. They
hint at leaving. Mrs. Tynn is continually subjected also to what she
calls insults from your French maid. That of course I know nothing of;
but it might be as well for you to listen to her on the subject."

"I cannot have Benoite crossed. I don't interfere in the household
myself, and she does it for me."

"But, my dear, if you would interfere a little more, just so far as to
ascertain whether these complaints have grounds, you might apply a
remedy."

"Lionel, you are most unreasonable! As if I could be worried with
looking into things! What are servants for? You must be a regular old
bachelor to think of my doing it."

"Well--to go to our first point," he rejoined. "Let us try half the
number of guests, and see how it works. If you do not find it better,
more agreeable in all ways, I will say no more about it."

He need not have said anything, then. Sibylla would not listen to it. At
any rate, would not act upon it. She conceded so far as to promise that
she would not invite so many next time. But, when that next time came,
and the new sojourners arrived, they turned out to be more. Beds had to
be improvised in all sorts of impossible places; the old servants were
turned out of their chambers and huddled into corners; nothing but
confusion and extravagance reigned. Against some of the latter, Mrs.
Tynn venture