,
tumbled up-stairs with the large soup tureen, breaking it in fragments
and scalding the foot of Mrs. Hamilton, who was in the rear, and who,
having waited an hour for dinner, had descended to the kitchen to know
why it was not forthcoming, saying that Polly had never been so behind
the time.

The other one, on being asked if she understood chamber work, had
replied, "Indade, and it's been my business all my life." She was
accordingly sent to make the beds and empty the slop. Thinking it an
easy way to dispose of the latter, she had thrown it from the window,
deluging the head and shoulders of her mistress who was bending down
to examine a rose bush which had been recently set out. Lenora was in
ecstasies, and when at noon her mother received a sprinkling of red
hot soup, she gravely asked her "which she relished most, cold or warm
baths!"

CHAPTER XIII.

RETRIBUTION.

Two years have passed away, and again we open the scene at the
homestead, which had not proved an altogether pleasant home to Mrs.
Hamilton. There was around her everything to make her happy, but she
was far from being so. One by one her servants, with whom she was very
unpopular, had left her, until there now remained but one. The
villagers, too, shunned her, and she was wholly dependent for society
upon Lenora, who, as usual, provoked and tormented her.

One day Hester, the servant, came up from the basement, saying there
was a poor old man below, who asked for money.

"Send him away; I've nothing for him," said Mrs. Hamilton, whose
avaricious hand, larger far than her heart, grasped at and retained
everything.

"But, if you please, ma'am, he seems very poor," said Hester.

"Let him go to work, then. 'Twon't hurt him more than 'twill me," was
the reply.

Lenora, whose eyes and ears were always open, no sooner heard that
there was a beggar in the kitchen than she ran down to see him. He was
a miserable-looking object, and still there was something in his
appearance which denoted him to be above the common order of beggars.
His eyes were large and intensely black, and his hair, short, thick,
and curly, reminded Lenora of her own. The moment she appeared a
peculiar expression passed for a moment over his face, and he half
started up; then resuming his seat he fixed his glittering eyes upon
the young lady, and seemed watching her closely.

At last she began questioning him, but his answers were so
unsatisfactory that she gave it up,