be so glad.

CHAPTER VII

IN THE HEART OF THE HOUSE

"Our interest's on the dangerous edge of things
The honest thief, the tender murderer,
The superstitious atheist, demirep,
That loves and saves her soul in new French books--
We watch while these in equilibrium keep
The giddy line midway: one step aside,
They're classed and done with. I, then, keep the line--"

BISHOP BLOUGRAM'S Apology.

I

The Duchess could but dimly guess at the splendour of that fine May
afternoon.

It had been her complaint lately that she was always cold and now the
blinds and curtains were closely drawn and a huge fire was blazing. Her
chair was close to the flame: she sat there looking, in the fierce
light, small and shrivelled; she was reading intently and made no
movement except now and again when she turned a page. Dorchester was the
only other person there and she sat a little in the shadow, busily
sewing.

From where she sat she could see her mistress's face, and behind her
carved chair there were the blue china dragons and the deep heavy red
curtains and a black oak table covered with little golden trays and
glass jars and silver boxes.

Neither heat nor cold nor youth nor age had any effect upon Dorchester.
No one knew how old she was, nor how long she had been with her
mistress, nor her opinions or sentiments concerning anything in the
world.

She was tall and gaunt and snapped her words as she might snap a piece
of thread.

From Mrs. Newton and Norris downwards the servants were afraid of her.
She made a confidant of no one, was supposed to have no emotions of any
kind, absurd and fantastic stories were told of her; she was certainly
not popular in the servants' hall and yet at a word from her anything
that she requested was done.

With Miss Rand only was it understood that she had a certain friendly
relationship; it was said that she liked Miss Rand.

Dorchester had witnessed the whole of the Duchess's career.

As she sat now in the shadow every now and again she looked up and
glanced at that sharp white face and those thin hands. What a little
body it was to have done so much, to have battled its way through such a
career, to have fought and to have won so many conflicts! It seemed to
Dorchester only yesterday that splendid time, when the Duchess had been
queen of London. Dorchester also had been young then and had had an
energy as enduring, a will as finely tempered as