gh she could not
bear the confinement,--had gone under the system of boycotting, when
all the other servants had gone also. Peter, who was very stern in
his discipline to the younger people, had caught hold of her before
she went, and had brought her to Mr. Jones, recommending that at any
rate her dress should be stripped from her back, and her shoes and
stockings from her feet. "If you war to wallop her, sir, into the
bargain, it would be a good deed done," Peter had said to his master.

"Why should I wallop her for leaving my service?"

"She ain't guv' no notice," said the indignant Peter.

"And if I were to wallop you because you had taken it into your
stupid head to leave me at a moment's notice, should I be justified
in doing so?"

"There is differences," said Peter, drawing himself up.

"You are stronger, you mean, and Feemy Carroll is weak. Let her go
her own gait as she pleases. How am I to take upon myself to say that
she is not right to go? And for the shoes and stockings, let them go
with her, and the dress also, if I am supposed to have any property
in it. Fancy a Landleaguer in Parliament asking an indignant question
as to my detaining forcibly an unwilling female servant. Let them
all go; the sooner we learn to serve ourselves the better for us. I
suppose you will go too before long."

This had been unkind, and Peter had made a speech in which he had
said so. But the little affair had taken place in the beginning of
the boycotting disarrangements, and Mr. Jones had been bitter in
spirit. Now the girls had shown how deftly they could do the work,
and had begun to talk pleasantly how well they could manage to save
the wages and the food. "It's my food you'll have to save, and my
wages," said Captain Clayton. But this had been before he had a hole
driven through him, and he was only awed by a frown.

But now news was brought in that Feemy had crept in at the back door.
"Drat her imperence," said Peter, who brought in the news. "It's
like her ways to come when she can't get a morsel of wholesome food
elsewhere."

Then Ada and Edith had rushed off to lay hold of the delinquent, who
had indeed left a feeling in the hearts of her mistresses of some
love for her little foibles. "Oh! Feemy, so you've come back again,"
said Ada, "and you've grown so big!" But Feemy cowered and said not
a word. "What have you been doing all the time?" said Edith. "Miss
Ada and I have had to clean out all the pots and all th