y Miss Floy for worlds!'

'Susan!' said Florence. 'My dear girl, my old friend! What shall I do
without you! Can you bear to go away so?'

'No-n-o-o, my darling dear Miss Floy, I can't indeed,' sobbed Susan.
'But it can't be helped, I've done my duty' Miss, I have indeed. It's no
fault of mine. I am quite resigned. I couldn't stay my month or I could
never leave you then my darling and I must at last as well as at first,
don't speak to me Miss Floy, for though I'm pretty firm I'm not a marble
doorpost, my own dear.'

'What is it? Why is it?' said Florence, 'Won't you tell me?' For Susan
was shaking her head.

'No-n-no, my darling,' returned Susan. 'Don't ask me, for I mustn't, and
whatever you do don't put in a word for me to stop, for it couldn't be
and you'd only wrong yourself, and so God bless you my own precious
and forgive me any harm I have done, or any temper I have showed in all
these many years!'

With which entreaty, very heartily delivered, Susan hugged her mistress
in her arms.

'My darling there's a many that may come to serve you and be glad to
serve you and who'll serve you well and true,' said Susan, 'but there
can't be one who'll serve you so affectionate as me or love you half as
dearly, that's my comfort' Good-bye, sweet Miss Floy!'

'Where will you go, Susan?' asked her weeping mistress.

'I've got a brother down in the country Miss--a farmer in Essex said the
heart-broken Nipper, 'that keeps ever so many co-o-ows and pigs and I
shall go down there by the coach and sto-op with him, and don't mind
me, for I've got money in the Savings Banks my dear, and needn't take
another service just yet, which I couldn't, couldn't, couldn't do, my
heart's own mistress!' Susan finished with a burst of sorrow, which was
opportunely broken by the voice of Mrs Pipchin talking downstairs; on
hearing which, she dried her red and swollen eyes, and made a melancholy
feint of calling jauntily to Mr Towlinson to fetch a cab and carry down
her boxes.

Florence, pale and hurried and distressed, but withheld from useless
interference even here, by her dread of causing any new division between
her father and his wife (whose stern, indignant face had been a warning
to her a few moments since), and by her apprehension of being in some
way unconsciously connected already with the dismissal of her
old servant and friend, followed, weeping, downstairs to Edith's
dressing-room, whither Susan betook herself to make her par