ion of
sailing to Sweden at the end of a message to a servant about packing his
clothes. Finding her in that temper of mind, the letter from Mr. Meeke
only irritated her the more. She insisted on getting up, and as soon
as she was dressed and downstairs, she vented her violent humor on
me, reproaching me for impertinent interference in the affairs of my
betters, and declaring that she had almost made up her mind to turn me
out of my place for it. I did not defend myself, because I respected her
sorrows and the irritation that came from them; also, because I knew the
natural kindness of her nature well enough to be assured that she would
make amends to me for her harshness the moment her mind was composed
again. The result showed that I was right. That same evening she sent
for me and begged me to forgive and forget the hasty words she had
spoken in the morning with a grace and sweetness that would have won the
heart of any man who listened to her.

Weeks passed after this, till it was more than a month since the day of
my master's departure, and no letter in his handwriting came to Darrock
Hall.

My mistress, taking this treatment more angrily than sorrowfully, went
to London to consult her nearest relations, who lived there. On leaving
home she stopped the carriage at the parsonage, and went in (as I
thought, rather defiantly) to say good-by to Mr. Meeke. She had
answered his letter, and received others from him, and had answered them
likewise. She had also, of course, seen him every Sunday at church, and
had always stopped to speak to him after the service; but this was
the first occasion on which she had visited him at his house. As
the carriage stopped, the little parson came out, in great hurry and
agitation, to meet her at the garden gate.

"Don't look alarmed, Mr. Meeke," says my mistress, getting out. "Though
you have engaged not to come near the Hall, I have made no promise to
keep away from the parsonage." With those words she went into the house.

The quadroon maid, Josephine, was sitting with me in the rumble of the
carriage, and I saw a smile on her tawny face as the parson and his
visitor went into the house together. Harmless as Mr. Meeke was, and
innocent of all wrong as I knew my mistress to be, I regretted that she
should be so rash as to despise appearances, considering the situation
she was placed in. She had already exposed herself to be thought of
disrespectfully by her own maid, and it was har