ankly answered Beatrice.

"You will sit down and rest, Bee?--Miss Middleton!" exclaimed Ishmael,
running to bring his own school chair for her accommodation.

"I will sit down, Bee. None of my old schoolmates call me anything else,
Ishmael, and I should hardly know my little self by any other name,"
said Bee, taking the offered seat.

"I thank you very much for letting me call you so! It really went
against all old feelings of friendship to call you otherwise."

"Why certainly it did."

"I hope your father and all the family are well?"

"All except mamma, who, you know, is very delicate."

"Yes, I know. They are all down here, of course?"

"No; no one but myself and one man- and maid-servant."

"Indeed!"

"Yes; I came down to see to the last preparations, so as to have
everything in order and comfortable for mamma when she comes."

"Still 'mamma's right-hand woman,' Bee!"

"Well, yes; I must be so. You know her health is very uncertain, and
there are so many children--two more since you left us, Ishmael! And
they are all such a responsibility! And as mamma is so delicate and I am
the eldest daughter, I must take much of the care of them all upon
myself," replied the girl-woman very gravely.

"Yes, I suppose so; and yet--" Ishmael hesitated and Bee took up the
discourse:

--"I know what you are thinking of, Ishmael! That some other than myself
ought to have been found to come down to this uninhabited house to make
the final preparations for the reception of the family; but really now,
Ishmael, when you come to think of it, who could have been found so
competent as myself for this duty? To be sure, you know, we sent an
upholsterer down with the new furniture, and with particular
instructions as to its arrangement: every carpet, set of curtains, and
suit of furniture marked with the name of the room for which it was
destined. But then, you know, there are a hundred other things to be
done, after the upholsterer has quitted the house, that none but a woman
and a member of the family would know how to do--cut glass and china and
cutlery to be taken out of their cases and arranged in sideboards and
cupboards; and bed and table linen to be unpacked and put into drawers
and closets; and the children's beds to be aired and made up; and
mamma's own chamber and nursery made ready for her; and, last of all,
for the evening that they are expected to arrive, a nice delicate supper
got. Now, who was there to attend to