Mrs.
Blanchard gave you a capital character. You shall stop here; don't be
afraid. And you'll be a good girl, Susan, and wear smart little caps and
aprons and bright ribbons, and you'll look nice and pretty, and dust the
furniture, won't you?" With this summary of a housemaid's duties, Allan
sauntered back into the hall, and found more signs of life in that
quarter. A man-servant appeared on this occasion, and bowed, as became a
vassal in a linen jacket, before his liege lord in a wide-awake hat.

"And who may you be?" asked Allan. "Not the man who let us in last
night? Ah, I thought not. The second footman, eh? Character? Oh, yes;
capital character. Stop here, of course. You can valet me, can you?
Bother valeting me! I like to put on my own clothes, and brush them,
too, when they _are_ on; and, if I only knew how to black my own boots,
by George, I should like to do it! What room's this? Morning-room, eh?
And here's the dining-room, of course. Good heavens, what a table! it's
as long as my yacht, and longer. I say, by-the-by, what's your name?
Richard, is it? Well, Richard, the vessel I sail in is a vessel of my
own building! What do you think of that? You look to me just the right
sort of man to be my steward on board. If you're not sick at sea--oh,
you _are_ sick at sea? Well, then, we'll say nothing more about it.
And what room is this? Ah, yes; the library, of course--more in Mr.
Midwinter's way than mine. Mr. Midwinter is the gentleman who came here
with me last night; and mind this, Richard, you're all to show him as
much attention as you show me. Where are we now? What's this door at the
back? Billiard-room and smoking-room, eh? Jolly. Another door! and more
stairs! Where do they go to? and who's this coming up? Take your time,
ma'am; you're not quite so young as you were once--take your time."

The object of Allan's humane caution was a corpulent elderly woman of
the type called "motherly." Fourteen stairs were all that separated her
from the master of the house; she ascended them with fourteen stoppages
and fourteen sighs. Nature, various in all things, is infinitely various
in the female sex. There are some women whose personal qualities reveal
the Loves and the Graces; and there are other women whose personal
qualities suggest the Perquisites and the Grease Pot. This was one of
the other women.

"Glad to see you looking so well, ma'am," said Allan, when the cook, in
the majesty of her office, stood procla