rew his sleeve across his eyes, to
disperse the watery film which had gathered over them while Mr L----
was speaking.

"But come, Hallings," said the latter, quickly changing the subject that
had struck painfully on a too sensitive chord in the old man's heart--"I
am come not only to visit you and your flowers, but my old friend,
Celia; and I have promised, in her name, a frothing glass of red cow's
milk, fresh from the pail, to this gentleman, Mr Hervey, who complained
of thirst in our way hither."

Recovering from his momentary emotion, the master of the cottage threw
open its latched door, and respectfully made way for us to enter the
little carpeted parlour, where his well-assorted partner (my friend's
friend, Celia) sat smoothing her apron, in expectation of the visitors,
the sound of whose voices had reached her through the open casement.

The comely dame who rose up at our entrance, and dropt to each a curtsy
that would not have dishonoured the patrician graces of her revered lady
and prototype, the late Mrs Eleanor Devereux, was still comely for her
years--"fat, fair, and sixty" and exhibiting, in her prim neatness of
person, the antiquated but becoming fashion of her dress, and her
profound respectfulness, untinctured by anything like cringing servility
to those she considered her superiors, no unfavourable specimen of
the housekeeper and waiting-woman of former days--of a class now
almost extinct, as the times in which it flourished are accounted
obsolete--when better feelings, and more Christian principles than those
which loosely huddle up our modern mercenary compacts, based and
cemented the mutual obligations of masters and servants, of the great
and their dependants--when there was dignity in the humblest servitude,
and meekness in the most absolute authority--self-respect on both sides,
and the fear of God above all.

The cottage parlour contained the unusual luxury of a sofa, from which
Mrs Hallings affected to brush, with her snowy apron, the dust that
could scarce have been perceptible to "microscopic eye," as she
courteously begged us to be seated; and her husband, as he shook up one
of the end cushions to make the corner seat, into which L---- had thrown
himself, more commodious, said, smiling, as he addressed himself to
me,--"You may well wonder to see such a piece of furniture in a poor
man's house, sir, but my poor master had it put for me into my own room
at the Hall, when I had my first fit