hould you make me
unhappy?" said Lucinda. Then Mrs. Carbuncle explained, that whereas
Sir Griffin was not yet thirty, Lord George was over forty. "All I
can say is, he doesn't look it," urged Lady Eustace enthusiastically.
"Those sort of men never do," said Mrs. Carbuncle. Lord George, when
he returned, was greeted with an allusion to angels' wings,--and
would have been a good deal spoilt among them were it in the nature
of such an article to receive injury. As soon as the clock had struck
ten the ladies all went away to their beds.

Lizzie, when she was in her own room, of course found her maid
waiting for her. It was necessarily part of the religion of such a
woman as Lizzie Eustace that she could not go to bed, or change her
clothes, or get up in the morning, without the assistance of her
own young woman. She would not like to have it thought that she
could stick a pin into her own belongings without such assistance.
Nevertheless it was often the case with her, that she was anxious to
get rid of her girl's attendance. It had been so on this morning, and
before dinner, and was so now again. She was secret in her movements,
and always had some recess in her boxes and bags and dressing
apparatuses to which she did not choose that Miss Patience Crabstick
should have access. She was careful about her letters, and very
careful about her money. And then as to that iron box in which the
diamonds were kept! Patience Crabstick had never yet seen the inside
of it. Moreover, it may be said,--either on Lizzie's behalf or to her
discredit, as the reader may be pleased to take it,--that she was
quite able to dress herself, to brush her own hair, to take off her
own clothes; and that she was not, either by nature or education, an
incapable young woman. But that honour and glory demanded it, she
would almost as lief have had no Patience Crabstick to pry into her
most private matters. All which Crabstick knew, and would often
declare her missus to be "of all missuses the most slyest and least
come-at-able." On this present night she was very soon despatched to
her own chamber. Lizzie, however, took one careful look at the iron
box before the girl was sent away.

Crabstick, on this occasion, had not far to go to seek her own couch.
Alongside of Lizzie's larger chamber there was a small room,--a
dressing-room with a bed in it, which, for this night, was devoted to
Crabstick's accommodation. Of course, she departed from attendance
on