Miss West."

Miss West understood, and she readily acquiesced in the prospect of
meeting Captain and Mrs. Berwick. She was even flattered by it. The
right chord of genuine nobility was in her, though she was reported to
be satirical. It was true that she was slightly disposed to make abrupt,
ironical speeches, the practice being one of her few small privileges.
But she felt that Miss Sandys' confidence was honourable alike to giver
and receiver, and that the terms on which she lived with her employer
did no discredit to either. The fact was that Miss West returned thanks
for these same terms in the middle of her confession of errors every day
of her life.

Accordingly Miss West drank the strong tea, and did her best to relish
the little blocks of cake, though they were slightly stale; and not the
less did she enjoy them that she settled in her private mind to propose
buttered toast next time, and to prepare it herself. She listened and
replied to Miss Sandys' conversation, which did not now run so much on
school incidents as on affairs in general. Miss Sandys' talk was shrewd
and sensible at all times, and not without interest and amusement,
especially when it diverged, at this point and that, to her own
experience, and to the customs and opinions of her youth, when faded
Miss West was a baby.

Christmas brought holidays to Miss Sandys' school, but Christmas Eve
was, in other respects, very unmarked. It would have been dull, almost
grim, to English notions. There was no Christmas tree, no waits, no
decorating of the church for the morrow. Still, it was the end of the
year--the period, by universal consent, dedicated to goodwill and
rejoicing all over the world--the old "daft days" even of sober, austere
Scotland. Jenny and Menie, in the kitchen, were looking forward to that
Handsel Monday which is the Whit Monday of country servants, and the
family gathering of the peasantry in Scotland. First footing and New
Year's gifts were lighting up the servant girls' imaginations. The
former may be safely looked upon as over with Miss Sandys and Miss West,
but they were not without visions of New Year's gifts--the useful,
considerate New Year's gifts of mature years. Miss West was at this
moment knitting an exquisitely fine, yet warm, veil which she had begun
two months ago, and which she had good hopes of completing within the
next few days. Miss Sandys had a guess that this veil was for her velvet
bonnet, and looked at it ad