desk was a foreigner. She sat in her
comfortable chair before the fire and read her letters, which Lois had
laid ready for her; and then she was called to breakfast.

Mrs. Barclay admired her surroundings here too, as she had often done
before. The old lady, ungainly as her figure and uncomely as her face
were, had yet a dignity in both; the dignity of a strong and true
character, which with abundant self-respect, had not, and never had,
any anxious concern about the opinion of any human being. Whoever feels
himself responsible to the one Great Ruler alone, and _does_ feel that
responsibility, will be both worthy of respect and sure to have it in
his relations with his fellows. Such tribute Mrs. Barclay paid Mrs.
Armadale. Her eye passed on and admired Madge, who was very handsome in
her neat, smart home dress; and rested on Lois finally with absolute
contentment. Lois was in a nut-brown stuff dress, with a white knitted
shawl bound round her shoulders in the way children sometimes have, the
ends crossed on the breast and tied at the back of the waist. Brown and
white was her whole figure, except the rosy flush on cheeks and lips;
the masses of fluffy hair were reddish-brown, a shade lighter than her
dress. At Charity Mrs. Barclay did not look much, unless for curiosity;
she was a study of a different sort.

"What delicious rolls!" said Mrs. Barclay. "Are these your work, Miss
Charity?"

"I can make as good, I guess," said that lady; "but these ain't mine.
Lois made 'em."

"Lois!" said Mrs. Barclay. "I did not know that this was one of your
accomplishments."

"Is _that_ what you call an accomplishment," said Charity.

"Certainly. What do you mean by it?"

"I thought an accomplishment was something that one could accomplish
that was no use."

"I am sorry you have such an opinion of accomplishments."

"Well, ain't it true? Lois, maybe Mrs. Barclay don't care for sausages.
There's cold meat."

"Your sausages are excellent. I like _such_ sausage very much."

"I always think sausages ain't sausages if they ain't stuffed. Aunt
Anne won't have the plague of it; but I say, if a thing's worth doing
at all, it's worth doing the best way; and there's no comparison in my
mind."

"So you judge everything by its utility."

"Don't everybody, that's got any sense?"

"And therefore you condemn accomplishments?"

"Well, I don't see the use. O, if folks have got nothing else to do,
and just want to make a flare-up--bu