erves him and
us so modestly and so gracefully. Fortunately, the Mistress never
loses sight of her. If she were her own daughter, she could not be more
watchful of all her movements. And yet I do not believe that Delilah
needs all this overlooking. If I am not mistaken, she knows how to take
care of herself, and could be trusted anywhere, in any company, without
a duenna. She has a history,--I feel sure of it. She has been trained
and taught as young persons of higher position in life are brought up,
and does not belong in the humble station in which we find her. But
inasmuch as the Mistress says nothing about her antecedents, we do
not like to be too inquisitive. The two Annexes are, it is plain, very
curious about her. I cannot wonder. They are both good-looking girls,
but Delilah is prettier than either of them. My sight is not so good
as it was, but I can see the way in which the eyes of the young people
follow each other about plainly enough to set me thinking as to what is
going on in the thinking marrow behind them. The young Doctor's follow
Delilah as she glides round the table,--they look into hers whenever
they get a chance; but the girl's never betray any consciousness of it,
so far as I can see. There is no mistaking the interest with which the
two, Annexes watch all this. Why shouldn't they, I should like to know?
The Doctor is a bright young fellow, and wants nothing but a bald spot
and a wife to find himself in a comfortable family practice. One of
the Annexes, as I have said, has had thoughts of becoming a doctress.
I don't think the Doctor would want his wife to practise medicine, for
reasons which I will not stop to mention. Such a partnership sometimes
works wonderfully well, as in one well-known instance where husband and
wife are both eminent in the profession; but our young Doctor has said
to me that he had rather see his wife,--if he ever should have one,--at
the piano than at the dissecting-table. Of course the Annexes know
nothing about this, and they may think, as he professed himself willing
to lecture on medicine to women, he might like to take one of his pupils
as a helpmeet.

If it were not for our Delilah's humble position, I don't see why she
would not be a good match for any young man. But then it is so hard
to take a young woman from so very lowly a condition as that of a
"waitress" that it would require a deal of courage to venture on such a
step. If we could only find out that she is