quietly, or spoken of them in a pleasant, kindly manner.
Things have gone on smoothly and quietly while you were away--more
smoothly than when you are at home, my dear, for though Lettice is not
such a good manager, she has a sweet, amiable manner which makes the
servants anxious to please her by doing their best. You are very young,
Hilary, and you make the mistake of over-estimating your own importance,
and of thinking you are necessary to the welfare of the household. You
can easily make yourself so, if you wish, for you are a very clever
housekeeper; but if you continue to be as self-satisfied and as
regardless of the feelings of others as you are at present, I tell you
plainly that you will end in being a hindrance rather than a help. I am
not saying that the other girls are faultless, but instead of setting
them a good example, in nine cases out of ten you are the one to begin a
quarrel. You think me very cruel to speak like this--it's not easy to
do, Hilary--but you may thank me for it some day. Open your eyes, my
dear, and try to see yourself as you really are, before it is too late!"

Miss Briggs swept from the room in a flutter of agitation, and Hilary
sank into the nearest chair, and gazed blankly at the fire. Her heart
was beating in heavy thuds, and she put her hand to her head in
stupefied fashion. For several minutes she sat motionless, unable to
form any definite thought. She only felt a curious shattered sensation,
as though she had come through some devastating experience, which had
laid waste all her fondest delusions. _What_ had Miss Briggs said?
That the household arrangements had been managed _better_ in her absence
than when she was at home. That if she did not alter, she would end in
being a hindrance rather than a help. That she set a bad example to the
younger girls and was the instigator of quarrels!--Hilary's cheeks burnt
with a flush that was almost painful. Her pride was wounded in its most
sensitive point. She would have been ready enough to acknowledge that
she was not so sweet-tempered as Lettice, or so clever as Norah, but she
had been secure in her conviction that no one could touch her in her own
department--that she was a person of supreme importance, without whom
the whole fabric of the household would fall to pieces. And things had
gone on _better_ while she was away! _Better_! Hilary writhed in
humiliation, and the flush burnt more fiercely than before. If she
coul