that if he returned he would come to Norwich. She had lived three
years since that, and he had not come back. And her house had been
broken up, and she, though she would have been prepared to wait for
another three years,--though she would have waited till she had grown
grey with waiting,--she had now fallen into the hands of one who had
a right to demand from her that she should obey him. "And it is not
that I hate him," she said to herself. "I do love him. He is all
good. But I am glad that he has not bade me not to think of John
Gordon."

CHAPTER V.

"I SUPPOSE IT WAS A DREAM."

It seemed to her, as she sat there at the window, that she ought to
tell Mrs Baggett what had occurred. There had been that between them
which, as she thought, made it incumbent on her to let Mrs Baggett
know the result of her interview with Mr Whittlestaff. So she went
down-stairs, and found that invaluable old domestic interfering
materially with the comfort of the two younger maidens. She was
determined to let them "know what was what," as she expressed it.

"You oughtn't to be angry with me, because I've done nothing," said
Jane the housemaid, sobbing.

"That's just about it," said Mrs Baggett. "And why haven't you done
nothing? Do you suppose you come here to do nothing? Was it doing
nothing when Eliza tied down them strawberries without putting in
e'er a drop of brandy? It drives me mortial mad to think what you
young folks are coming to."

"I ain't a-going anywhere, Mrs Baggett, because of them strawberries
being tied down which, if you untie them, as I always intended, will
have the sperrits put on them as well now as ever. And as for your
going mad, Mrs Baggett, I hope it won't be along of me."

"Drat your imperence."

"I ain't imperence at all. Here's Miss Lawrie, and she shall say
whether I'm imperence."

"Mrs Baggett, I want to speak to you, if you'll come into the other
room," said Mary.

"You are imperent, both of you. I can't say a word but I'm taken up
that short that--. They've been and tied all the jam down, so that
it'll all go that mouldy that nobody can touch it. And then, when I
says a word, they turns upon me." Then Mrs Baggett walked out of the
kitchen into her own small parlour, which opened upon the passage
just opposite the kitchen door. "They was a-going to be opened
this very afternoon," said Eliza, firing a parting shot after the
departing enemy.

"Mrs Baggett, I've got to tell you," Mar