ve assisted her in doing the best when she had no
money, a condition which often made it the more trying that she had now
so little influence over her cousin's adornment. To dress was a far
more difficult, though not more important, affair with Sepia than with
Hesper, for she had nothing of her own, and from, her cousin no fixed
allowance. Any arrangement of the kind had been impossible at
Durnmelling, where there was no money; and here, where it would have
been easy enough, she judged it better to give no hint in its
direction, although plainly it had never suggested itself to Hesper.
There was nothing of the money-mean in her, any more than in her
husband. They were of course, as became people of fashion, regular and
unwearied attendants of the church of Mammon, ordering all their
judgments and ways in accordance with the precepts there delivered; but
they were none of Mammon's priests or pew-openers, money-grubs, or
accumulators. They gave liberally where they gave, and scraped no
inferior to spend either on themselves or their charities. They had
plenty, it is true; but so have many who withhold more than is meet,
and take the ewe-lamb to add to their flock. For one thing, they had no
time for that sort of wickedness, and took no interest in it. So
Hesper, although it had not come into her mind to give her the ease of
a stated allowance, behaved generously to Sepia--when she thought of
it; but she did not love her enough to be love-watchful, and seldom
thought how her money must be going, or questioned whether she might
not at the moment be in want of more. There are many who will give
freely, who do not care to understand need and anticipate want. Hence
at times Sepia's purse would be long empty before the giving-thought
would wake in the mind of Hesper. When it woke, it was gracious and
free.

Had Sepia ventured to run up bills with the tradespeople, Hesper would
have taken it as a thing of course, and settled them with her own. But
Sepia had a certain politic pride in spending only what was given her;
also she saw or thought she saw serious reason for avoiding all
appearances of taking liberties; from the first of Mr. Redmain's visits
to Durnmelling, she had been aware, with an instinct keen in respect of
its objects, though blind as to its own nature, that he did not like
her, and soon satisfied herself that any overt attempt to please him
would but ripen his dislike to repugnance; and her dread was that he
m