ided her in the choice of an occupation.
She knew that she must, if possible, earn something; but it was equally
impossible for her to leave home entirely, or even for many hours at a
stretch; she was quite convinced that constant watching, and even gentle
restraint, could alone prevail in checking the tendency which her
stepmother evinced. She understood now better than she had ever done why
her father's brow had been so early wrinkled and his hair grey before
its time. Doubtless, he had discovered his wife's unfortunate tendency,
and, while carefully concealing it or keeping it within bounds, had
allowed it often to weigh heavily upon his mind. Janetta realized with a
great shock that _she_ could not hope to exert the influence or the
authority of her father, that all her efforts might possibly be
unavailing unless they were seconded by Mrs. Colwyn herself, and that
public disgrace might yet be added to the troubles and anxieties of
their lives.

There is something so particularly revolting in the spectacle of this
kind of degradation in a woman, that Janetta felt as if the discovery
that she had made turned her positively ill. She had much ado to behave
to the children and the servant as if nothing were amiss; she got her
stepmother to bed, and kept Tiny out of the room, but the effort was
almost more than she knew how to bear. She passed a melancholy evening
with the children--melancholy in spite of herself, for she did her best
to be cheerful--and spent a sleepless night, rising in the morning with
a bad headache and a conviction as of the worthlessness of all things
which she did not very often experience.

She shrank sensitively from going to Mrs. Colwyn's room. Surely the poor
woman would be overcome with pain and shame; surely she would understand
how terrible the exposure of her disgrace had been to Janetta. But at
last Mrs. Colwyn's bell sounded sharply, and continued to ring, and the
girl was obliged to run upstairs and enter her stepmother's room.

Mrs. Colwyn was sitting up in bed, with the bell-rope in her hand, an
aggrieved expression upon her face.

"Well, I'm sure! Nine o'clock and no breakfast ready for me! I suppose I
may wait until everybody else in the house is served first; I must say,
Janetta, that you are very thoughtless of my comfort."

Contrary to her usual custom Janetta offered no word of excuse or
apology. She was too much taken aback to speak. She stood and looked at
her stepmother w