the hard-working,
good-natured woman of fifty who for twenty years had reported the doings
of those citizens of Endbury whom she considered the "gentry," had
toiled with the utmost disinterestedness to build up a feeling, or, as
she called it, a "tone," which, among other things, should exclude her
from equality. When she began she was, perhaps, the only person in town
who had an unerring instinct for social differences; but, like a kindly,
experienced actor of a minor role in theatricals, she had silently given
so many professional tips to the amateur principals in the play, and had
acted her own part with such unflagging consistency and good-will, that
she had often now the satisfaction of seeing one of her pupils move
through her role with a most edifying effect of having been born to it.

Long ago she had taken the Emerys to her warm heart and she had rejoiced
in all their upward progress with the sweet unenvious joy of an ugly
woman in a pretty, much-loved sister's successes. Lydia was to her, as
to Mrs. Emery, a bright symbol of what she would fain have been herself.
Miss Burgess' feeling for her somewhat resembled that devout affection
which, she had read, was felt by faithful old servants of great English
families for the young ladies of the house. The pathetic completeness of
her own insignificance of aspect had spared her any uneasy ambitions
for personal advancement, and it is probable that the vigor of her
character and her pleasure in industry were such that she had been
happier in her daily column and weekly five-column _Society Notes_ than
if she had been as successful a society matron as Mrs. Emery herself.

She lived the life of a creator, working at an art she had invented, in
a workroom of her own contriving, loyally drawing the shutters to shade
an unfortunate occurrence in one of the best families, setting forth a
partial success with its best profile to the public, and flooding with
light real achievements like Mrs. Hollister's rose party (_the_ Mrs.
Hollister--Paul's aunt, and Madeleine's). All that she wrote was read by
nearly every woman in Endbury. She was a person of importance, and a
very busy and happy old maid.

Mrs. Emery had a great taste for Miss Burgess' conversation, admiring
greatly her whole-hearted devotion to Endbury's social welfare. She had
once said of her to Dr. Melton, "There is what _I_ call a
public-spirited woman." He had answered, "I envy Flora Burgess with the
fierce e