"Yis, miss."

"You know that my name is _Mrs_. Forster, do you not?"

"Mrs. Forster. Yis, miss."

Marian made no further attempt to get miss changed to maam; and Eliza
left the room. As she crossed the landing, she was called by someone on
the same floor. Marian started at the sound. It was a woman's voice,
disagreeably husky: a voice she felt sure she had heard before, and yet
one that was not familiar to her.

"Eliza. Eli-za!" Marian shuddered.

"Yis, yis," said Eliza, impatiently, opening a door.

"Come here, alanna," said the voice, with mock fondness. The door was
then closed, and Marian could hear the murmur of the conversation which
followed. It was still proceeding when Mrs. Myers came in.

"I didnt ought to have left you to find your way up here alone, Mrs.
Forster," she said; "but I do have such worry sometimes that I'm bound
to leave either one thing or another undone."

"It does not matter at all, Mrs. Myers. Your servant has been very
attentive to me."

"The hired girl? She's smart, she is--does everything right slick away.
The only trouble is to keep her out of that room. She's in there now.
Unless I am always after her, she is slipping out on errands, pawning
and buying drink for that unfortunate young creature."

"For whom?"

"A person that Mrs. Crawford promised to tell you about."

"So she did," said Marian. "But I did not know she was young."

"She's older than you, a deal. I knew her when she was a little girl,
and I often forget how old she is. She was the prettiest child! Even now
she would talk you into anything. But I cant help her. It's nothing but
drink, drink, drink from morning til night. There's Eliza coming out of
her room. Eliza."

"Yis, maam," said Eliza, looking in.

"You stay in the house, Eliza, do you hear? I wont have you go out."

"Could I spake a word to you, maam?" said Eliza, lowering her voice.

"No, Eliza. I'm engaged with Mrs. Forster."

"She wants to see you," whispered Eliza.

"Go downrs, Eliza, this minute. I wont see her."

"Mrs. Myers," cried the voice. Marian again shrank from the sound. "Mrs.
My-ers. Aunt Sally. Come to your poor Soozy." Mrs. Myers looked
perplexedly at Marian. The voice resumed after a pause, with an affected
Yankee accent, "I guess I'll raise a shine if you dont come."

"I must go," said Mrs. Myers. "I promise you, Mrs. Forster, she shall
not annoy you. She shall go this week. It aint right that you should be
disturbed by