ou haven't got any medicine for my complaint,
Mr. Martin." The apothecary had assured her that the worst of her
complaint was in the east wind, and had gone away begging her to be
very careful. "It is not God's breezes that are hard to any one," the
old lady had said to herself,--"but our own hearts." After her lonely
dinner she had fidgeted about the room, and had rung twice for the
girl, not knowing what order to give when the servant came to her.
She was very anxious about her tea, but would not have it brought to
her till after Martha should have arrived. She was half-minded to
order that a second cup and saucer should be placed there, but she
had not the courage to face the disappointment which would fall upon
her, should the cup and saucer stand there for no purpose. And yet,
should she come, how nice it would be to shew her girl that her old
aunt had been ready for her. Thrice she went to the window after the
cathedral clock had struck seven, to see whether her ambassador was
returning. From her window there was only one very short space of
pathway on which she could have seen her,--and, as it happened, there
came the ring at the door, and no ambassador had as yet been viewed.
Miss Stanbury was immediately off her seat, and out upon the landing.
"Here we are again, Miss Dorothy," said Martha. Then Miss Stanbury
could not restrain herself,--but descended the stairs, moving as she
had never moved since she had first been ill. "My bairn," she said;
"my dearest bairn! I thought that perhaps it might be so. Jane,
another tea-cup and saucer up-stairs." What a pity that she had not
ordered it before! "And get a hot cake, Jane. You will be ever so
hungry, my darling, after your journey."

"Are you glad to see me, Aunt Stanbury?" said Dorothy.

"Glad, my pretty one!" Then she put up her hands, and smoothed down
the girl's cheeks, and kissed her, and patted Martha on the back, and
scolded her at the same time for not bringing Miss Dorothy from the
station in a cab. "And what is the meaning of that little bag?" she
said. "You shall go back for the rest yourself, Martha, because it is
your own fault." Martha knew that all this was pleasant enough;--but
then her mistress's moods would sometimes be changed so suddenly! How
would it be when Miss Stanbury knew that Brooke Burgess had been left
behind at Nuncombe Putney?

"You see I didn't stay to eat any of the lamb," said Dorothy,
smiling.

"You shall have a calf instead,