hens of her acquaintances,
and scrambled with her _dramatis personae_ through the strong situations
of a servant's history.

Nevertheless the manner of the Berwicks was not without the refreshing
influence of common, rude fresh air. They were not exceptionally
coarse-minded, but unluckily they were neither strong nor fine minded.
They were ponderous, clumsy beings, and although genuine and
warm-hearted, were destitute of internal resources. They expected to be
constantly eating and drinking, or to be constantly entertained. If they
were not entertained, they showed their weariness without restraint, by
yawning outrageously. The entertaining of Captain and Mrs. Berwick was
therefore no sinecure. But Miss West was loyal. She walked with the
Captain, so that he might have more than his one smoke a day, and
perseveringly copied and sang Braham's songs for him. She designed and
cut out patterns for Mrs. Berwick, who, as the Captain had saved money,
did not make her own dresses, but nevertheless loved to accumulate
patterns of sleeves, capes, and flounces. She listened to her tales, and
helped her to as much more kitchiana as she could produce on short
notice. She told how Betsy had worn feathers and been taken to prison on
suspicion of theft; and how Marianne her sister had hoarded her wages in
order to secure legal advice for Betsy, and had captivated and married
an officer of the court in which Betsy had been tried, and how it had
all happened in a family where Miss West had lived.

III.

Captain and Mrs. Berwick were gone. The holidays at Carter Hill were all
but ended--"all but ended," Miss Sandys repeated with a little sigh of
relief, and an inclination to moralize on that weariness which is the
result of pleasure. When Miss West came down in the morning the kettle
was steaming on the hob, the teapot under its cosie, and the couple of
rolls and the dish of sausages were set in their places. Miss
Sandys--her working apron lying ready to take up on the side-table
behind her--was bent to the last on buns and pork pies, though she
frankly admitted they were vanity. But the girls must be broken from
their home dainties by degrees, and Jenny and Menie must have "cakes" to
carry to their homes on their Handsel Monday.

Miss West found a letter on her plate. It caused her complexion to
change, and her sharp eyes to fasten on it fixedly. No wonder her head
swam and her ears rang. She was going through the uncomfortable pro