approaching,
and the door was opened by a woman who hardly showed herself behind it.

Lady Louvaine came in first, leaning on Hans.

"Good evening," she said to the portress. "It was good of my Lord
Oxford to provide--nay! Charity!"

"Ay, Madam, it's me," said the familiar voice of the old servant, whom
her mistress believed she had left behind in Cumberland.

"Why, old friend! when earnest thou hither?"

"You'd best sit you down afore you hear folks their catechisms," said
Charity, coolly, leading the way to a pleasant parlour hung and
upholstered in green, where a fire was burning on the hearth, and a
large cushioned chair stood beside it. "When did I come? Well, let's
see?--it was o' Tuesday last."

"But how?" queried her mistress, in a tone which was a mixture of
astonishment and perplexity.

"Same how as I get to most places, Madam--on my feet."

"You walked to London, Charity?"

"Ay, I did. I'm good for fifteen miles at a stretch."

"And whence gat you the money for your lodging?"

Charity laughed. "I never paid a halfpenny for lodging nobut [Note 1]
once, and that was th' last night afore I got here. Some nights I lay
in a barn upo' th' hay: but most on 'em I got took in at a farm-house,
and did an hour or two's work for 'em i' th' morn to pay for my lodging
and breakfast. But some on 'em gave it me right out for nought--just
for company like. I bought my victuals, of course: but I should ha'
wanted them wherever I'd been."

"And what led you to wish for life in London, Charity?"

"Eh! bless you, I want none to live i' London. It's a great, smoky,
dirty place."

"Then what did you want?"

"I wanted yo'," said Charity, with a nod at her mistress. "Lady
Lettice, yo'll not turn me away? If things is so bad you cannot afford
to keep me, you shalln't: I can earn enough by my spinning half th' day,
and serve you i' t' other half. But yo'll want two: I'm sure Rachel can
ne'er do all th' work, and you'd best have me, for nob'ry else 'll put
so much heart into 't as I shall. Do let me stop, for I cannot abear to
leave you."

It was a moment before Lady Louvaine could speak. Then she held out her
hand to Charity.

"My faithful Charity, I will not turn thee away! So long as I have two
loaves of bread, thou mayest be sure of one."

"Thank God, that's all right!" said Charity with a sigh of evident
relief. "We's [we shall] get on famous, Rachel and me, and nother on us
'll feel as if