tters. I wish there weren't no sich
things. There was a man here yesterday with his imperence. I don't
know where he come from,--down from Lun'on, I b'leeve: and this was
wrong, and that was wrong, and everything was wrong; and then he said
he'd have me discharged the sarvice."

"Dear me, Mrs Crump; that wouldn't do at all."

"Discharged the sarvice! Tuppence farden a day. So I told 'un to
discharge hisself, and take all the old bundles and things away
upon his shoulders. Letters indeed! What business have they with
post-missusses, if they cannot pay 'em better nor tuppence farden
a day?" And in this way, under the shelter of Mrs Crump's storm
of wrath against the inspector who had visited her, Lily and Bell
escaped much that would have fallen upon their own heads; but Mrs
Boyce still remained. I may here add, in order that Mrs Crump's
history may be carried on to the farthest possible point, that she
was not "discharged the sarvice," and that she still receives her
twopence farthing a day from the Crown. "That's a bitter old lady,"
said the inspector to the man who was driving him. "Yes, sir; they
all says the same about she. There ain't none of 'em get much change
out of Mrs Crump."

Bell and Lily went together also to Mrs Boyce's. "If she makes
herself very disagreeable, I shall insist upon talking of your
marriage," said Lily.

"I've not the slightest objection," said Bell; "only I don't know
what there can be to say about it. Marrying the doctor is such a very
commonplace sort of thing."

"Not a bit more commonplace than marrying the parson," said Lily.

"Oh, yes, it is. Parsons' marriages are often very grand affairs.
They come in among county people. That's their luck in life. Doctors
never do; nor lawyers. I don't think lawyers ever get married in
the country. They're supposed to do it up in London. But a country
doctor's wedding is not a thing to be talked about much."

Mrs Boyce probably agreed in this view of the matter, seeing that
she did not choose the coming marriage as her first subject of
conversation. As soon as the two girls were seated she flew away
immediately to the house, and began to express her very great
surprise,--her surprise and her joy also,--at the sudden change which
had been made in their plans. "It is so much nicer, you know," said
she, "that things should be pleasant among relatives."

"Things always have been tolerably pleasant with us," said Bell.

"Oh, yes; I'm sure of t