,and
raising
her
above
the
level
of
petty
pains
—
Johanna
and
Robert
Lyon
.
Under
the
influence
of
these
her
tired
face
grew
composed
,
and
there
was
a
wishful
,
far
away
,
fond
look
in
her
eyes
,
which
made
it
not
wonderful
that
the
said
old
lady
—
apparently
an
acute
old
soul
in
her
way
—
should
watch
her
,
as
we
do
occasionally
watch
strangers
in
whom
we
have
become
suddenly
interested
.
There
is
no
accounting
for
these
interests
,
or
to
the
events
to
which
they
give
rise
.
Sometimes
they
are
pooh-pooh-ed
as
"
romantic
,
"
"
unnatural
,
"
"
like
a
bit
in
a
novel
;
"
and
yet
they
are
facts
continually
occurring
,
especially
to
people
of
quick
intuition
,
observation
,
and
sympathy
.
Nay
,
even
the
most
ordinary
people
have
known
or
heard
of
such
,
resulting
in
mysterious
,
life-long
loves
;
firm
friendships
;
strange
yet
often
wonderful
happy
marriages
;
sudden
revolutions
of
fortune
and
destiny
:
things
utterly
unaccountable
for
,
except
by
the
belief
in
the
inscrutable
Providence
which
"
Shapes
our
ends
,
Rough-how
them
as
we
will
.
"
When
Hilary
left
the
shop
she
was
startled
by
a
voice
at
her
elbow
.
"
I
beg
your
pardon
,
but
if
your
way
lies
up
Southampton
Row
,
would
you
object
to
give
an
old
woman
a
share
of
that
capital
umbrella
of
yours
?
"
"
With
pleasure
,
"
Hilary
answered
,
though
the
oddness
of
the
request
amused
her
.
And
it
was
granted
really
with
pleasure
;
for
the
old
lady
spoke
with
those
"
accents
of
the
mountain
tongue
"
which
this
foolish
Hilary
never
recognized
without
a
thrill
at
the
heart
.
"
May
be
you
think
an
old
woman
ought
to
take
a
cab
,
and
not
be
intruding
upon
strangers
;
but
I
am
hale
and
hearty
,
and
being
only
a
streets
length
from
my
own
door
,
I
dislike
to
waste
unnecessary
shillings
.
"
"
Certainly
,
"
acquiesced
Hilary
,
with
a
half
sigh
:
shillings
were
only
too
precious
to
her
.
"
I
saw
you
in
the
boot
shop
,
and
you
seemed
the
sort
of
young
lady
who
would
do
a
kindness
to
an
old
body
like
me
;
so
I
said
to
myself
,
'
Ill
ask
her
.
'
"
"
I
am
glad
you
did
.
"
Poor
girl
!
she
felt
unconsciously
pleased
at
finding
herself
still
able
to
show
a
kindness
to
any
body
.
They
walked
on
and
on
—
it
was
certainly
a
long
street
's
length
—
to
the
stranger
's
door
,
and
it
took
Hilary
a
good
way
round
from
hers
;
but
she
said
nothing
of
this
,
concluding
,
of
course
,
that
her
companion
was
unaware
of
where
she
lived
;
in
which
she
was
mistaken
.
They
stopped
at
last
before
a
respectable
house
near
Brunswick
Square
,
bearing
a
brass
plate
,
with
the
words
"
Miss
Balquidder
.
"
"
That
is
my
name
,
and
very
much
obliged
to
you
,
my
dear
.
How
it
rains
!
Ye
're
just
drenched
.
"
Hilary
smiled
and
shook
her
damp
shawl
.
"
I
shall
take
no
harm
.
I
am
used
to
go
out
in
all
weathers
.
"
"
Are
you
a
governess
?
"
The
question
was
so
direct
and
kindly
,
that
it
hardly
seemed
an
impertinence
.
"
Yes
;
but
I
have
no
pupils
,
and
I
fear
I
shall
never
get
any
.
"
"
Why
not
?
"
"
I
suppose
,
because
I
know
nobody
here
.
It
seems
so
very
hard
to
get
teaching
in
London
.
But
I
beg
your
pardon
.
"
"
I
beg
yours
,
"
said
Miss
Balquidder
—
not
without
a
certain
dignity
—
"
for
asking
questions
of
a
stranger
.
But
I
was
once
a
stranger
here
myself
,
and
had
a
'
sair
fecht
,
'
as
we
say
in
Scotland
,
before
I
could
earn
even
my
daily
bread
.
Though
I
was
n't
a
governess
,
still
I
know
pretty
well
what
the
sort
of
life
is
,
and
if
I
had
daughters
who
must
work
for
their
bread
,
the
one
thing
I
would
urge
upon
them
should
be
—
'
Never
become
a
governess
.
'
"
"
Indeed
.
For
what
reason
?
"
"
I
'll
not
tell
you
now
,
my
dear
,
standing
with
all
your
wet
clothes
on
;
but
as
I
said
,
if
you
will
do
me
the
favor
to
call
.
"
"
Thank
you
!
"
said
Hilary
,
not
sufficiently
initiated
in
London
caution
to
dread
making
a
new
acquaintance
.
Besides
,
she
liked
the
rough
hewn
,
good
natured
face
;
and
the
Scotch
accent
was
sweet
to
her
ear
.
Yet
when
she
reached
home
she
was
half
shy
of
telling
her
sisters
the
engagement
she
had
made
.
Selina
was
extremely
shocked
,
and
considered
it
quite
necessary
that
the
London
Directory
,
the
nearest
clergyman
,
or
,
perhaps
,
Mr.
Ascott
,
who
living
in
the
parish
,
must
know
—
should
be
consulted
as
to
Miss
Balquidder
's
respectability
.
"
She
has
much
more
reason
to
question
ours
,
"
recollected
Hilary
,
with
some
amusement
;
for
I
never
told
her
my
name
or
address
.
She
does
not
know
a
single
thing
about
me
.
Which
fact
,
arguing
the
matter
energetic
ally
two
days
after
,
the
young
lady
might
not
have
been
so
sure
of
,
could
she
have
penetrated
the
ceiling
overhead
.
In
truth
,
Miss
Balquidder
,
a
prudent
person
,
who
never
did
things
by
halves
,
and
,
like
most
truly
generous
people
,
was
cautious
even
in
her
extremist
fits
of
generosity
,
at
that
very
moment
was
sitting
in
Mrs.
Jones
's
first
floor
,
deliberately
discovering
every
single
thing
possible
to
be
learned
about
the
Leaf
family
.
Nevertheless
,
owing
to
Selina
's
indignant
pertinacity
,
Hilary
's
own
hesitation
,
and
a
dim
hope
of
a
pupil
which
rose
up
and
faded
like
the
rest
,
the
possible
acquaintance
lay
dormant
for
two
or
three
weeks
;
till
,
alas
!
the
fabulous
wolf
actually
came
to
the
door
;
and
the
sisters
,
after
paying
their
week
's
rent
,
looked
aghast
at
one
another
,
not
knowing
where
in
the
wide
world
the
next
week
's
rent
was
to
come
from
.
"
Thank
God
,
we
do
n't
owe
any
thing
:
not
a
penny
!
"
gasped
Hilary
.
"
No
;
there
is
comfort
in
that
,
"
said
Johanna
.
And
the
expression
of
her
folded
hands
and
upward
face
was
not
despairing
,
even
though
that
of
the
poor
widow
,
when
her
barrel
of
meal
was
gone
,
and
her
cruse
of
oil
spent
,
would
hardly
have
been
sadder
.
"
I
am
sure
we
have
wasted
nothing
,
and
cheated
nobody
;
—
surely
God
will
help
us
.
"
"
I
know
He
will
,
my
child
.
"
And
the
two
sisters
,
elder
and
younger
,
kissed
one
another
,
cried
a
little
,
and
then
sat
down
to
consider
what
was
to
be
done
.
Ascott
must
be
told
how
things
were
with
them
.
Hitherto
they
had
not
troubled
him
much
with
their
affairs
:
indeed
,
he
was
so
little
at
home
.
And
after
some
private
consultation
,
both
Johanna
and
Hilary
decided
that
it
was
wisest
to
let
the
lad
come
and
go
as
he
liked
;
not
attempting
—
as
he
once
indignantly
expressed
it
—
"
to
tie
him
to
their
apron
strings
.
"
For
instinctively
these
maiden
ladies
felt
that
with
men
,
and
,
above
all
,
young
men
,
the
only
way
to
bind
the
wandering
heart
was
to
leave
it
free
,
except
by
trying
their
utmost
that
home
should
be
always
a
pleasant
home
.
It
was
touching
to
see
their
efforts
,
when
Ascott
came
in
of
evenings
,
to
enliven
for
his
sake
the
dull
parlor
at
No.
15.
How
Johanna
put
away
her
mending
,
and
Selina
ceased
to
grumble
,
and
Hilary
began
her
lively
chat
,
that
never
failed
to
brighten
and
amuse
the
household
.
Her
nephew
even
sometimes
acknowledged
that
wherever
he
went
,
he
met
nobody
so
"
clever
"
as
Aunt
Hilary
.
So
,
presuming
upon
her
influence
with
him
,
on
this
night
,
after
the
rest
were
gone
to
bed
,
she
,
being
always
the
boldest
to
do
any
unpleasant
thing
,
said
to
him
.
"
Ascott
,
how
are
your
business
affairs
progressing
?
When
do
you
think
you
will
be
able
to
get
into
practice
?
"
"
Oh
,
presently
.
There
's
no
hurry
.
"
"
I
am
not
so
sure
of
that
.
Do
you
know
,
my
dear
boy
"
—
and
she
opened
her
purse
,
which
contained
a
few
shillings
—
"
this
is
all
the
money
we
have
in
the
world
.
"
"
Nonsense
,
"
said
Ascott
,
laughing
.
"
I
beg
your
pardon
,
"
he
added
,
seeing
it
was
with
her
no
laughing
matter
;
"
but
I
am
so
accustomed
to
be
hard
up
that
I
do
n't
seem
to
care
.
It
always
comes
right
somehow
—
at
least
with
me
.
"
"
How
?
"
"
Oh
,
I
do
n't
exactly
know
;
but
it
does
.
Do
n't
fret
,
Aunt
Hilary
.
I
'll
lend
you
a
pound
or
two
.
"
She
drew
back
.
These
poor
,
proud
,
fond
women
,
who
,
if
their
boy
,
instead
of
a
fine
gentleman
,
had
been
a
helpless
invalid
,
would
have
tended
him
,
worked
for
him
,
nay
,
begged
for
him
—
cheerfully
,
oh
,
how
cheerfully
!
wanting
nothing
in
the
whole
world
but
his
love
—
they
could
not
ask
him
for
his
money
.
Even
now
,
offered
thus
,
Hilary
felt
as
if
to
take
it
would
be
intolerable
.
Still
the
thing
must
be
done
.
"
I
wish
,
Ascott
"
—
and
she
nerved
herself
to
say
what
somebody
ought
to
say
to
him
—
"
I
would
you
would
not
lend
but
pay
us
the
pound
a
week
you
said
you
could
so
easily
spare
.
"
"
To
be
sure
I
will
.
What
a
thoughtless
fellow
I
have
been
!
But
—
but
—
I
fancied
you
would
have
asked
me
if
you
wanted
it
.
Never
mind
,
you
'll
get
it
all
in
a
lump
.
Let
me
see
—
how
much
will
it
come
to
?
You
are
the
best
head
going
for
arithmetic
,
Aunt
Hilary
.
Do
reckon
it
all
up
?
"
She
did
so
;
and
the
sum
total
made
Ascott
open
his
eyes
wide
.
"
Upon
my
soul
I
had
no
idea
it
was
so
much
.
I
'm
very
sorry
,
but
I
seem
fairly
cleaned
out
this
quarter
—
only
a
few
sovereigns
left
to
keep
the
mill
going
.
You
shall
have
them
,
or
half
of
them
,
and
I
'll
owe
you
the
rest
.
Here
!
"
He
emptied
on
the
table
,
without
counting
,
four
or
five
pounds
.
Hilary
took
two
,
asking
him
gravely
"
If
he
was
sure
he
could
spare
so
much
?
She
did
not
wish
to
inconvenience
him
.
"
"
Oh
,
not
at
all
;
and
I
would
n't
mind
if
it
did
;
you
have
been
good
aunts
to
me
.
"
He
kissed
her
,
with
a
sudden
fit
of
compunction
,
and
bade
her
good-night
,
looking
as
if
he
did
not
care
to
be
"
bothered
"
any
more
.
Hilary
retired
,
more
sad
,
more
hopeless
about
him
than
if
he
had
slammed
the
door
in
her
face
,
or
scolded
her
like
a
trooper
.
Had
he
met
her
seriousness
in
the
same
spirit
,
even
though
it
had
been
a
sullen
or
angry
spirit
—
and
little
as
she
said
he
must
have
felt
she
wished
him
to
feel
—
that
his
aunts
were
displeased
with
him
;
but
that
utterly
unrepressible
light-heartedness
of
his
—
there
was
no
doing
any
thing
with
it
.
There
was
so
to
speak
,
"
no
catching
hold
"
of
Ascott
.
He
meant
no
harm
.
She
repeated
over
and
over
again
that
the
lad
meant
no
harm
.
He
had
no
evil
ways
;
was
always
pleasant
,
good-natured
,
and
affectionate
,
in
his
own
careless
fashion
;
but
was
no
more
to
be
relied
on
than
a
straw
that
every
wind
blows
hither
and
thither
;
or
,
to
use
a
common
simile
,
a
butterfly
that
never
sees
any
thing
farther
than
the
nearest
flower
.
His
was
,
in
short
,
the
pleasure-loving
temperament
,
not
positively
sinful
or
sensual
,
but
still
holding
pleasure
as
the
greatest
good
;
and
regarding
what
deeper
natures
call
"
duty
,
"
and
find
therein
their
strong-hold
and
consolation
,
as
a
mere
bugbear
or
a
sentimental
theory
,
or
an
impossible
folly
.
Poor
lad
!
and
he
had
the
world
to
fight
with
;
how
would
it
use
him
?
Even
if
no
heavy
sorrows
for
himself
or
others
smote
him
,
his
handsome
face
would
have
to
grow
old
,
his
strong
frame
to
meet
sickness
—
death
.
—
How
would
he
do
it
?
That
is
the
thought
which
always
recurs
.
What
is
the
end
of
such
men
as
these
?
Alas
!
the
answer
would
come
from
hospital
wards
,
alms-houses
and
work-houses
,
debtors
'
prisons
and
lunatic
asylums
.
To
apprehensions
like
this
—
except
the
last
,
happily
it
was
as
yet
too
far
off
—
Hilary
had
been
slowly
and
sadly
arriving
about
Ascott
for
weeks
past
;
and
her
conversation
with
him
to-night
seemed
to
make
them
darken
down
upon
her
with
added
gloom
.
As
she
went
up
stairs
she
set
her
lips
together
hard
.
"
I
see
there
is
nobody
to
do
any
thing
except
me
.
But
I
must
not
tell
Johanna
.
"
She
lay
long
awake
,
planning
every
conceivable
scheme
for
saving
money
;
till
at
length
,
her
wits
sharpened
by
the
desperation
of
the
circumstances
,
there
flashed
upon
her
an
idea
that
came
out
of
a
talk
she
had
had
with
Elizabeth
that
morning
.
True
,
it
was
a
perfectly
new
and
untried
chance
—
and
a
mere
chance
;
still
it
was
right
to
overlook
nothing
.
She
would
not
have
ventured
to
tell
Selina
of
it
for
the
world
,
and
even
to
Johanna
,
she
only
said
—
finding
her
as
wakeful
as
herself
—
said
it
in
a
careless
manner
,
as
if
it
had
relation
to
nothing
,
and
she
expected
nothing
from
it
—
"
I
think
,
as
I
have
nothing
else
to
do
,
I
will
go
and
see
Miss
Balquidder
to-morrow
morning
.
"
CHAPTER
XIII
.
Miss
Balquidder
's
house
was
a
handsome
one
,
handsomely
furnished
,
and
a
neat
little
to
aid-servant
showed
Hilary
at
once
into
the
dining-parlor
,
where
the
mistress
sat
before
a
business-like
writing-table
,
covered
with
letters
,
papers
,
etc.
,
all
arranged
with
that
careful
order
in
disorder
which
indicates
,
even
in
the
smallest
things
,
the
possession
of
an
accurate
,
methodical
mind
,
than
which
there
are
few
greater
possessions
,
either
to
its
owner
or
to
the
world
at
large
.
Miss
Balquidder
was
not
a
personable
woman
;
she
had
never
been
so
even
in
youth
;
and
age
had
told
its
tale
upon
those
large
,
strong
features
—
"
thoroughly
Scotch
features
,
"
they
would
have
been
called
by
those
who
think
all
Scotchwomen
are
necessarily
big
,
raw-boned
,
and
ugly
;
and
have
never
seen
that
wonderfully
noble
beauty
—
not
prettiness
,
but
actual
beauty
in
its
highest
physical
as
well
as
spiritual
development
—
which
is
not
seldom
found
across
the
Tweed
.
But
while
there
was
nothing
lovely
,
there
was
nothing
unpleasant
or
uncomely
in
Miss
Balquidder
.
Her
large
figure
,
in
its
plain
black
silk
dress
;
her
neat
white
cap
,
from
under
which
peeped
the
little
round
curls
of
flaxen
hair
,
neither
gray
nor
snowy
,
but
real
"
lint-white
locks
"
still
;
and
her
good-humored
,
motherly
look
—
motherly
rather
than
old-maidish
—
gave
an
impression
which
may
be
best
described
by
the
word
"
comfortable
.
"
—
She
was
a
"
comfortable
"
woman
.
She
had
that
quality
—
too
rarely
,
alas
!
in
all
people
,
and
rarest
in
women
going
solitary
down
the
hill
of
life
—
of
being
able
,
out
of
the
deep
content
of
her
own
nature
,
to
make
other
people
the
same
.
Hilary
was
cheered
in
spite
of
herself
:
it
always
conveys
hope
to
the
young
,
when
in
sore
trouble
,
if
they
see
the
old
looking
happy
.
"
Welcome
,
my
dear
!
I
was
afraid
you
had
forgotten
your
promise
.
"
"
Oh
no
,
"
said
Hilary
,
responding
heartily
to
the
hearty
clasp
of
a
hand
large
as
a
man
's
,
but
soft
as
a
woman
's
.
"
Why
did
you
not
come
sooner
?
"
More
than
one
possible
excuse
flashed
thro
'
Hilary
's
mind
,
but
she
was
too
honest
to
give
it
.
She
gave
none
at
all
.
Nor
did
she
like
to
leave
the
impression
that
this
was
merely
a
visit
,
when
she
knew
she
had
only
come
from
secondary
and
personal
motives
.
"
May
I
tell
you
why
I
came
to-day
?
—
Because
I
want
advice
and
help
,
and
I
think
you
can
give
it
,
from
something
I
heard
about
you
yesterday
.
"
"
Indeed
!
From
whom
?
"
"
In
rather
a
roundabout
way
;
from
Mrs.
Jones
,
who
told
our
maid-servant
.
"
"
The
same
girl
I
met
on
the
staircase
at
your
bones
?
I
beg
your
pardon
,
but
I
know
where
you
live
,
Miss
Leaf
;
your
landlady
happens
to
be
an
acquaintance
of
mine
.
"
"
So
she
said
:
and
she
told
our
Elizabeth
that
you
were
a
rich
and
benevolent
woman
,
who
took
a
great
interest
in
helping
other
women
;
not
in
money
"
—
blushing
scarlet
at
be
idea
—
"
I
do
n't
mean
that
,
but
in
procuring
them
work
.
I
want
work
—
oh
!
so
terribly
.
If
you
only
knew
—
"
"
Sit
down
,
my
dear
;
"
for
Hilary
was
rambling
much
,
her
voice
breaking
,
and
her
eyes
filling
,
in
spite
of
all
her
self-command
.
Miss
Balquidder
—
who
seemed
accustomed
to
wait
upon
herself
—
went
out
of
the
room
,
and
returned
with
cake
and
glasses
;
then
she
took
the
wine
from
the
side-board
,
poured
some
oat
for
herself
and
Hilary
,
and
began
to
talk
.
"
It
is
nearly
my
luncheon-time
,
and
I
am
a
great
friend
to
regular
eating
and
drinking
.
I
never
let
any
thing
interfere
with
my
own
meals
,
or
other
folks
'
either
,
if
I
can
help
it
.
I
would
as
soon
expect
that
fire
to
keep
itself
up
without
coals
,
as
my
mind
to
go
on
working
if
I
do
n't
look
after
my
body
.
You
understand
?
You
seem
to
have
good
health
,
Miss
Leaf
.
I
hope
you
are
a
prudent
girl
,
and
take
care
of
it
.
"
"
I
think
I
do
;
"
and
Hilary
smiled
.
"
At
any
rate
my
sister
does
for
me
,
and
also
Elizabeth
.
"
"
Ah
,
I
liked
the
look
of
that
girl
.
If
families
did
but
know
that
the
most
useful
patent
of
respectability
they
can
carry
about
with
them
is
their
maid-servant
!
That
is
how
I
always
judge
my
new
acquaintances
.
"
"
There
's
reason
in
it
,
too
,
"
said
Hilary
,
amused
and
drawn
out
of
herself
by
the
frank
manner
and
the
cordial
voice
—
I
use
the
adjective
advisedly
;
none
the
less
sweet
because
its
good
terse
English
had
a
decided
Scotch
accent
,
with
here
and
there
a
Scotch
word
.
Also
there
was
about
Miss
Balquidder
a
certain
dry
humor
essentially
Scotch
—
neither
Irish
"
wit
"
nor
English
"
fun
,
"
but
Scotch
humor
;
a
little
ponderous
perhaps
,
yet
sparkling
:
like
the
sparkles
from
a
large
lump
of
coal
,
red-warm
at
the
heart
,
and
capable
of
warming
a
whole
household
.
As
many
a
time
it
had
warmed
the
little
household
at
Stowbury
—
for
Robert
Lyon
had
it
in
perfection
.
Like
a
waft
as
from
old
times
,
it
made
Hilary
at
once
feel
at
home
with
Miss
Balquidder
.
Equally
,
Miss
Balquidder
might
have
seen
something
in
this
girl
's
patient
,
heroic
,
forlorn
youth
which
reminded
her
of
her
own
.
Unreasoning
as
these
sudden
attractions
appear
,
there
is
often
a
hidden
something
beneath
which
in
reality
makes
them
both
natural
and
probable
,
as
was
the
case
here
.
In
half
an
hour
these
two
women
were
sitting
talking
like
old
friends
;
and
Hilary
had
explained
her
present
position
,
needs
and
desires
.
They
ended
in
the
one
cry
—
familiar
to
how
many
thousands
more
of
helpless
young
women
!
—
"
I
want
work
!
"
Miss
Balquidder
listened
thoughtfully
.
Not
that
it
was
a
new
story
—
alas
!
she
heard
it
every
day
;
but
there
was
something
new
in
the
telling
of
it
;
such
extreme
directness
and
simplicity
,
such
utter
want
of
either
false
pride
or
false
shame
,
No
asking
of
favors
,
and
yet
no
shrinking
from
well-means
kindness
;
the
poor
woman
speaking
freely
to
the
rich
one
,
recognizing
the
common
womanhood
of
both
,
and
never
supposing
for
an
instant
that
mere
money
or
position
could
make
any
difference
between
them
.
The
story
ended
,
both
turned
,
as
was
the
character
of
both
,
to
the
practical
application
of
it
—
what
it
was
exactly
that
Hilary
needed
,
and
what
Miss
Balquidder
could
supply
.
The
latter
said
,
after
a
turn
or
two
up
and
down
the
room
,
with
her
hands
behind
her
—
the
only
masculine
trick
she
had
—
"
My
dear
,
before
going
further
,
I
ought
to
tell
you
one
thing
—
I
am
not
a
lady
.
"
Hilary
looked
at
her
in
no
little
bewilderment
.
"
That
is
,
"
explained
Miss
Balquidder
,
laughing
,
"
not
an
educated
gentlewoman
like
you
.
I
made
my
money
myself
—
in
trade
.
I
kept
an
outfitter
's
shop
.
"
"
You
must
have
kept
it
uncommonly
well
,
"
was
the
involuntary
reply
,
which
,
in
its
extreme
honesty
and
naivete
,
was
perhaps
the
best
thing
that
Hilary
could
have
said
.
"
Well
,
perhaps
I
did
,
"
and
Miss
Balquidder
laughed
her
hearty
laugh
,
betraying
one
of
her
few
weaknesses
—
a
consciousness
of
her
own
capabilities
as
a
woman
of
business
,
and
a
pleasure
at
her
own
deserved
success
.
"
Therefore
,
you
see
.
I
can
not
help
you
as
a
governess
.
Perhaps
I
would
not
if
I
could
,
for
,
so
far
as
I
see
,
a
good
clearance
of
one
half
the
governesses
into
honest
trades
would
be
for
their
own
benefit
,
and
greatly
to
the
benefit
of
the
other
half
.
But
that
's
not
my
affair
.
I
only
meddle
with
things
I
understand
.
Miss
Leaf
,
would
you
be
ashamed
of
keeping
a
shop
?
"
It
is
no
reflection
upon
Hilary
to
confess
that
this
point-blank
question
startled
her
.
—
Her
bringing
up
had
been
strictly
among
the
professional
class
;
and
in
the
provinces
sharper
than
even
in
London
is
drawn
the
line
between
the
richest
tradesman
who
"
keeps
a
shop
,
"
and
the
poorest
lawyer
,
doctor
,
or
clergyman
who
ever
starved
in
decent
gentility
.
It
had
been
often
a
struggle
for
Hilary
Leaf
's
girlish
pride
to
have
to
teach
A
B
C
to
little
boys
and
girls
whose
parents
stood
behind
counters
;
but
as
she
grew
older
she
grew
wiser
,
and
intercourse
with
Robert
Lyon
had
taught
her
much
.
She
never
forgot
,
one
day
,
when
Selina
asked
him
something
about
his
grandfather
or
great-grandfather
,
and
he
answered
quickly
,
smiling
,
"
Well
,
I
suppose
I
had
one
,
but
I
really
never
heard
.
"
Nevertheless
it
takes
long
to
conquer
entirely
the
class
prejudices
of
years
,
nay
,
more
,
of
generations
.
In
spite
of
her
will
Hilary
felt
herself
wince
,
and
the
color
rush
all
over
her
face
,
at
Miss
Balquidder
's
question
.
"
Take
time
to
answer
,
and
speak
out
,
my
dear
.
Do
n't
be
afraid
.
You
'll
not
offend
me
.
"
The
kindly
cheerful
tone
made
Hilary
recover
her
balance
immediately
.
"
I
never
thought
of
it
before
;
the
possibility
of
such
a
thing
did
not
occur
to
me
;
but
I
hope
I
should
not
be
ashamed
of
any
honest
work
for
which
I
was
competent
.
Only
—
to
serve
in
a
shop
—
to
want
upon
strangers
—
I
am
so
horribly
shy
of
strangers
.
"
And
again
the
sensitive
color
rushed
in
a
perfect
tide
over
checks
and
forehead
.
Miss
Balquidder
looked
,
half
amused
,
compassionately
at
her
.
"
No
,
my
dear
,
you
would
not
make
a
good
shop-woman
,
at
least
there
are
many
who
are
better
fitted
for
it
than
you
;
and
it
is
my
maxim
that
people
should
try
to
find
out
,
and
to
do
,
only
that
which
they
are
best
fitted
for
.
If
they
did
we
might
not
have
so
many
cases
of
proud
despair
and
ambitious
failure
in
the
world
.
It
looks
very
grand
and
interesting
sometimes
to
try
and
do
what
you
ca
n't
de
,
and
then
tear
your
hair
,
and
think
the
world
has
ill-used
you
—
very
grand
,
but
very
silly
:
when
all
the
while
,
perhaps
,
there
is
something
else
you
can
do
thoroughly
well
;
and
the
world
will
be
exceedingly
obliged
to
you
for
doing
it
,
and
not
doing
the
other
thing
.
—
As
doubtless
the
world
was
to
me
,
when
,
instead
of
being
a
mediocre
musician
,
as
I
once
wished
to
be
—
it
's
true
,
my
dear
—
I
took
to
keeping
one
of
the
best
ladies
'
outfitting
warehouses
in
London
.
"
While
she
talked
her
companion
had
quite
recovered
herself
,
and
Miss
Balquidder
then
went
on
to
explain
,
what
I
will
tell
more
briefly
,
if
less
graphically
,
than
the
good
Scotchwoman
,
who
,
like
all
who
have
had
a
hard
struggle
in
their
youth
,
liked
a
little
to
dilate
upon
it
in
easy
old
age
.
Hard
as
it
was
,
however
,
it
had
ended
early
,
for
at
fifty
she
found
herself
a
woman
of
independent
property
,
without
kith
or
kin
,
still
active
,
energetic
,
and
capable
of
enjoying
life
.
She
applied
her
mind
to
find
out
what
she
could
best
do
with
herself
and
her
money
.
"
I
might
have
bought
a
landed
estate
to
be
inherited
by
—
nobody
;
or
a
house
in
Belgravia
,
and
an
opera-box
,
to
be
shared
by
—
nobody
.
We
all
have
our
pet
luxuries
;
none
of
these
were
exactly
mine
.
"
"
No
,
"
assented
Hilary
,
somewhat
abstractedly
.
She
was
thinking
—
if
she
could
make
a
fortune
,
and
—
and
give
it
away
!
—
if
,
by
any
means
,
any
honorable
,
upright
heart
could
be
made
to
understand
that
it
did
not
signify
,
in
reality
,
which
side
the
money
came
from
;
that
it
sometimes
showed
deeper
,
the
very
deepest
attachment
,
when
a
proud
,
poor
man
had
self-respect
and
courage
enough
to
say
to
a
woman
,
"
I
love
you
,
and
I
will
marry
you
;
I
am
not
such
a
coward
as
to
be
afraid
of
your
gold
.
"
But
,
oh
!
what
a
ridiculous
dream
!
—
and
she
sat
there
,
the
penniless
Hilary
Leaf
,
listening
to
Miss
Balquidder
,
the
rich
lady
,
whose
life
seemed
so
easy
.
For
the
moment
,
perhaps
,
her
own
appeared
hard
.
But
she
had
hope
,
and
she
was
young
.
She
knew
nothing
of
the
years
and
years
that
had
had
to
be
lived
through
before
those
kind
eyes
looked
as
clear
and
cloudless
as
now
;
before
the
voice
had
gained
the
sweet
evenness
of
tone
which
she
liked
to
listen
to
,
and
felt
that
it
made
her
quiet
and
"
good
,
"
almost
like
Johanna
's
.
"
You
see
,
my
dear
,
"
said
Miss
Balquidder
,
"
when
one
has
no
duties
,
one
must
just
make
them
;
when
we
have
nobody
to
care
for
us
,
we
must
take
to
caring
for
every
body
.
I
suppose
"
—
here
a
slight
pause
indicated
that
this
life
,
like
all
women
's
lives
,
had
had
its
tale
,
now
long
,
long
told
—
"
I
suppose
I
was
not
meant
to
be
a
wife
;
but
I
am
quite
certain
I
was
meant
to
be
a
mother
.
And
"
—
with
her
peculiar
,
bright
,
humorous
look
—
"
you
'd
be
astonished
,
Miss
Leaf
,
if
you
knew
what
lots
of
'
children
'
I
have
in
all
parts
of
the
world
.
"
Miss
Balquidder
then
went
on
to
explain
,
that
finding
,
from
her
own
experience
,
how
great
was
the
number
,
and
how
sore
the
trial
of
young
women
who
nowadays
are
obliged
to
work
—
obliged
to
forget
that
there
is
such
a
thing
as
the
blessed
privilege
of
being
worked
for
—
she
had
set
herself
,
in
her
small
way
,
to
try
and
help
them
.
Her
pet
project
was
to
induce
educated
women
to
quit
the
genteel
starvation
of
governesships
for
some
good
trade
thereby
bringing
higher
intelligence
into
a
class
which
needed
,
not
the
elevation
of
the
work
itself
,
which
was
comparatively
easy
and
refined
,
but
of
the
workers
.
She
had
therefore
invested
sum
after
sum
of
her
capital
in
setting
up
various
small
shops
in
the
environs
of
London
,
in
her
own
former
line
,
and
others
—
stationers
,
lace-shops
,
etc.
—
trades
which
could
be
well
carried
on
by
women
.
—
Into
the
management
of
these
she
put
as
many
young
girls
as
she
could
find
really
fitted
for
it
,
or
willing
to
learn
,
paying
them
regular
salaries
,
large
or
small
,
according
to
their
deserts
.
"
Fair
work
,
fair
pay
;
not
one
penny
more
or
less
;
I
never
do
it
;
it
would
not
be
honest
.
I
overlook
each
business
myself
,
and
it
is
carried
on
in
my
name
.
Sometimes
it
brings
me
in
a
little
profit
;
sometimes
not
.
Of
course
,
"
she
added
,
smiling
.
"
I
would
rather
have
profits
than
losses
;
still
,
I
balance
one
against
the
other
,
and
it
leaves
me
generally
a
small
interest
for
my
money
—
two
or
three
per
cent
.
,
which
is
all
I
care
about
.
Thus
,
you
see
.
I
and
my
young
people
make
a
fair
bargain
on
both
sides
;
it
's
no
charity
.
I
do
n't
believe
in
charity
.
"
"
No
,
"
said
Hilary
,
feeling
her
spirit
rise
.
She
was
yet
young
enough
,
yet
enough
unworn
by
the
fight
to
feel
the
deliciousness
of
work
—
honest
work
for
honest
pay
.
"
I
think
I
could
do
it
,
"
she
added
.
"
I
think
,
with
a
little
practice
,
I
really
could
keep
a
shop
.
"
"
At
all
events
,
perhaps
you
could
do
what
I
find
more
difficult
to
get
done
,
and
well
done
,
for
it
requires
a
far
higher
class
of
women
than
generally
apply
:
you
could
keep
the
accounts
of
a
shop
;
you
should
be
the
head
,
and
it
would
be
easy
to
find
the
hands
,
Let
me
see
;
there
is
a
young
lady
,
she
has
managed
my
stationer
's
business
at
Kensington
these
two
years
,
and
now
she
is
going
to
be
married
.
Are
you
good
at
figures
;
do
you
understand
book-keeping
?
"
And
suddenly
changing
into
the
woman
of
business
,
and
one
who
was
evidently
quite
accustomed
both
to
arrange
and
command
,
Miss
Balquidder
put
Hilary
through
a
sort
of
extempore
arithmetical
catechism
,
from
which
she
came
off
with
flying
colors
.
"
I
only
wish
there
were
more
like
you
.
I
wish
there
were
more
young
ladies
brought
up
like
—
"
"
Like
boys
!
"
said
Hilary
,
laughing
,
"
for
I
always
used
to
say
that
was
my
case
.
"
"
No
,
I
never
desire
to
see
young
women
made
into
men
.
"
And
Miss
Balquidder
seemed
a
little
scandalized
.
"
But
I
do
wish
girls
were
taught
fewer
accomplishments
,
and
more
reading
,
writing
,
and
arithmetic
;
were
made
as
accurate
,
orderly
,
and
able
to
help
themselves
as
boys
are
.
But
to
business
.
Will
you
take
the
management
of
my
stationer
's
shop
?
"
Hilary
's
breath
came
hard
and
fast
.
Much
as
she
had
longed
for
work
,
to
get
this
sort
of
work
—
to
keep
a
stationer
's
shop
?
What
would
her
sisters
say
?
what
would
he
say
!
But
she
dared
not
think
of
that
just
now
.
"
How
much
should
I
be
able
to
earn
,
do
you
think
?
"
Miss
Balquidder
considered
a
moment
,
and
then
said
,
rather
shortly
,
for
it
was
not
exactly
acting
on
her
own
principles
;
she
knew
the
pay
was
above
the
work
.
"
I
will
give
you
a
hundred
a
year
.
"
A
hundred
a
year
!
actually
certain
,
and
over
and
above
any
other
income
.
It
seemed
a
fortune
to
poor
Hilary
.
"
Will
you
give
me
a
day
or
two
to
think
about
it
and
consult
my
sisters
?
"
She
spoke
quietly
,
but
Miss
Balquidder
could
see
how
agitated
she
was
;
how
she
evidently
struggled
with
many
feelings
that
would
be
best
struggled
with
alone
.
The
good
old
lady
rose
.
"
Take
your
own
time
,
my
dear
;
I
will
keep
the
situation
open
for
you
for
one
week
from
this
date
.
And
now
I
must
send
you
away
,
for
I
have
a
great
deal
to
do
.
"
They
parted
quite
like
friends
;
and
Hilary
went
out
,
walking
quickly
,
feeling
neither
the
wind
nor
the
rain
.
Yet
when
she
reached
No.
15
she
could
not
bring
herself
to
enter
,
but
took
another
turn
or
two
round
the
Crescent
,
trying
to
be
quite
sure
of
her
own
mind
before
she
opened
the
matter
to
her
sisters
.
—
And
there
was
one
little
battle
to
be
fought
which
the
sisters
did
know
.
It
was
perhaps
foolish
,
seeing
she
did
not
belong
to
him
in
any
open
way
,
and
he
had
no
external
right
over
her
life
or
her
actions
,
that
she
should
go
back
and
back
to
the
question
,
"
What
would
Robert
Lyon
say
?
"
He
knew
she
earned
her
daily
bread
;
sometimes
this
had
seemed
to
vex
and
annoy
him
,
but
it
must
be
done
;
and
when
a
thing
was
inevitable
,
it
was
not
Mr.
Lyon
's
way
to
say
much
about
it
.
But
being
a
governess
was
an
accredited
and
customary
mode
of
a
young
lady
's
earning
her
livelihood
.
This
was
different
.
If
he
should
think
it
too
public
,
too
unfeminine
:
he
had
such
a
horror
of
a
woman
's
being
any
thing
but
a
woman
,
as
strong
and
brave
as
she
could
,
but
in
a
womanly
way
;
doing
any
thing
,
however
painful
,
that
she
was
obliged
to
do
,
but
never
out
of
choice
or
bravado
,
or
the
excitement
of
stepping
out
of
her
own
sphere
into
man
's
.
Would
Robert
Lyon
think
less
of
her
,
Hilary
,
because
she
had
to
earn
to
take
care
of
herself
,
to
protect
herself
,
and
to
act
in
so
many
ways
for
herself
,
contrary
to
the
natural
and
right
order
of
things
?
That
old
order
—
God
forbid
it
should
ever
change
!
—
which
ordained
that
the
women
should
be
"
keepers
at
home
;
"
happy
rulers
of
that
happy
little
world
,
which
seemed
as
far
off
as
the
next
world
from
this
poor
Hilary
.
"
What
if
he
should
look
down
upon
me
?
What
if
he
should
return
and
find
me
different
from
what
he
expected
?
"
And
bitter
tears
burned
in
her
eyes
,
as
she
walked
rapidly
and
passionately
along
the
deserted
street
.
Then
a
revulsion
came
.
"
No
;
love
is
worth
nothing
that
is
not
worth
every
thing
,
and
to
be
trusted
through
every
thing
.
If
he
could
forget
me
—
could
love
any
one
better
than
me
—
me
myself
,
no
matter
what
I
was
—
ugly
or
pretty
,
old
or
young
,
rich
or
poor
—
I
would
not
care
for
his
love
.
It
would
not
be
worth
my
having
;
I
'd
let
it
go
.
Robert
,
though
it
broke
my
heart
,
I
'd
let
you
go
.
"
Her
eyes
flashed
;
her
poor
little
hand
clenched
itself
under
her
shawl
;
and
then
,
as
a
half
reproach
,
she
heard
in
fancy
the
steady
loving
voice
—
which
could
have
calmed
her
wildest
paroxysm
of
passion
and
pain
—
"
You
must
trust
me
,
Hilary
.
"
Yes
,
he
was
a
man
to
be
trusted
.
No
doubt
very
much
like
other
men
,
and
by
no
means
such
a
hero
to
the
world
at
large
as
this
fond
girl
made
him
out
to
be
;
but
Robert
Lyon
had
,
with
all
people
,
and
under
all
circumstances
,
the
character
of
reliableness
.
He
had
also
—
you
might
read
it
in
his
face
—
a
quality
equally
rare
,
faithfulness
.
Not
merely
sincerity
,
but
faithfulness
;
the
power
of
conceiving
one
clear
purpose
,
or
one
strong
love
—
in
unity
of
strength
—
and
of
not
only
keeping
true
to
it
at
the
time
,
but
of
holding
fast
to
it
with
a
single-minded
persistency
that
never
even
takes
in
the
idea
of
voluntary
change
,
as
long
as
persistency
is
right
or
possible
.
"
Robert
,
Robert
!
"
sobbed
this
forlorn
girl
,
as
if
slowly
waking
up
to
a
sense
of
her
forlorness
,
and
of
the
almost
universal
fickleness
,
not
actual
falseness
,
but
fickleness
,
which
prevails
in
the
world
and
among
mankind
.
"
O
Robert
,
be
faithful
!
faithful
to
yourself
—
faithful
to
me
!
"
CHAPTER
XIV
.
When
Miss
Hilary
reached
home
Elizabeth
opened
the
door
to
her
;
the
parlor
was
deserted
.
Miss
Leaf
had
gone
to
lie
down
,
and
Miss
Selina
was
away
to
see
the
Lord
Mayor
's
Show
with
Mr.
Peter
Ascott
.
"
With
Mr.
Peter
Ascott
!
"
Hilary
was
a
little
surprised
;
but
on
second
thoughts
she
found
it
natural
;
Selina
was
glad
of
any
amusement
—
to
her
,
not
only
the
narrowness
but
the
dullness
of
their
poverty
was
inexpressibly
galling
.
"
She
will
be
back
to
dinner
,
I
suppose
?
"
"
I
do
n't
know
,
"
said
Elizabeth
briefly
.
Had
Miss
Hilary
been
less
preoccupied
,
she
would
have
noticed
something
not
quite
right
about
the
girl
—
something
that
at
any
other
time
would
have
aroused
the
direct
question
,
"
What
is
the
matter
,
Elizabeth
?
"
For
Miss
Hilary
did
not
consider
it
beneath
her
dignity
to
observe
that
things
might
occasionally
go
wrong
with
this
solitary
young
woman
,
away
from
her
friends
,
and
exposed
to
all
the
annoyances
of
London
lodgings
;
that
many
trifles
might
happen
to
worry
and
perplex
her
.
If
the
mistress
could
not
set
them
right
,
she
could
at
least
give
the
word
of
kindly
sympathy
,
as
precious
to
"
a
poor
servant
"
as
to
the
Queen
on
her
throne
.
This
time
,
however
,
it
came
not
,
and
Elizabeth
disappeared
below
stairs
immediately
.
The
girl
was
revolving
in
her
own
mind
a
difficult
ethical
question
.
To-day
,
for
the
first
time
in
her
life
,
she
had
not
"
told
Miss
Hilary
every
thing
.
"
Two
things
had
happened
,
and
she
could
not
make
up
her
mind
as
to
whether
she
ought
to
communicate
them
.
Now
Elizabeth
had
a
conscience
,
by
nature
a
very
tender
one
,
and
which
,
from
circumstances
,
had
been
cultivated
into
a
much
higher
sensitiveness
than
,
alas
!
is
common
among
her
class
,
or
,
indeed
,
in
any
class
.
This
,
if
an
error
,
was
Miss
Hilary
's
doing
;
it
probably
caused
Elizabeth
a
few
more
miseries
,
and
vexations
,
and
painful
shocks
in
the
world
than
she
would
have
had
had
she
imbibed
only
the
ordinary
tone
of
morality
,
especially
the
morality
of
ordinary
domestic
servants
;
but
it
was
an
error
upon
which
,
in
summing
up
her
life
,
the
Recording
Angel
would
gravely
smile
.
The
first
trial
had
happened
at
breakfast
time
.
Ascott
,
descending
earlier
than
his
wont
,
had
asked
her
.
Did
any
gentleman
,
short
and
dirty
,
with
a
hooked
nose
,
inquire
for
him
yesterday
?
Elizabeth
thought
a
minute
,
and
recollected
that
some
person
answering
the
above
not
too
flattering
description
had
called
,
but
refused
to
leave
his
name
,
saying
he
did
not
know
the
ladies
,
but
was
a
particular
friend
of
Mr.
Leaf
's
.
Ascott
laughed
.
"
So
he
is
—
a
very
particular
friend
;
but
my
aunts
would
not
fancy
him
,
and
I
do
n't
want
him
to
come
here
.
Say
,
if
he
calls
,
that
I
'm
gone
out
of
town
.
"
"
Very
well
,
sir
.
Shall
you
start
before
dinner
?
"
said
Elizabeth
,
whose
practical
mind
immediately
recurred
to
that
meal
,
and
to
the
joint
,
always
contrived
to
be
hot
on
the
days
that
Ascott
dined
at
home
.
He
seemed
excessively
tickled
.
"
Bless
you
,
you
are
the
greatest
innocent
!
Just
say
what
I
tell
you
,
and
never
mind
—
hush
!
here
's
Aunt
Hilary
.
"
And
Miss
Hilary
's
anxious
face
,
white
with
long
wakefulness
,
had
put
out
of
Elizabeth
's
head
the
answer
that
was
coming
;
indeed
the
matter
slipped
from
her
mind
altogether
,
in
consequence
of
another
circumstance
which
gave
her
much
more
perplexity
.
During
her
young
mistress
's
absence
,
supposing
Miss
Selina
out
too
,
and
Miss
Leaf
up
stairs
,
she
had
come
suddenly
into
the
parlor
without
knocking
.
There
,
to
her
amazement
,
she
saw
Miss
Selina
and
Mr.
Ascott
standing
,
in
close
conversation
,
over
the
fire
.
They
were
so
engrossed
that
they
did
not
notice
her
,
and
she
shut
door
again
immediately
.
But
what
confounded
her
was
,
that
she
was
certain
,
absolutely
certain
,
Mr.
Ascott
had
his
arm
round
Miss
Selina
's
waist
!
Now
that
was
no
business
of
hers
,
and
yet
the
faithful
domestic
was
a
good
deal
troubled
;
still
more
so
,
when
,
by
Miss
Leaf
's
excessive
surprise
at
hearing
of
the
visitor
who
had
come
and
gone
,
carrying
Miss
Selina
away
to
the
city
,
she
was
certain
the
elder
sister
was
completely
in
the
dark
as
to
any
thing
going
to
happen
in
the
family
.
Could
it
be
a
wedding
?
Could
Miss
Selina
really
love
,
and
be
intending
to
marry
,
that
horrid
little
man
?
For
strange
to
say
,
this
young
servant
had
,
what
many
a
young
beauty
of
rank
and
fashion
has
not
,
or
has
lost
forever
—
the
true
,
pure
,
womanly
creed
,
that
loving
and
marrying
are
synonymous
terms
;
that
to
let
a
man
put
his
arm
round
your
waist
when
you
do
not
intend
to
marry
him
,
or
to
intend
to
marry
him
for
money
or
any
thing
else
when
you
do
not
really
love
him
,
are
things
quite
impossible
and
incredible
to
any
womanly
mind
.
A
creed
somewhat
out
of
date
,
and
perhaps
existing
only
in
stray
nooks
of
the
world
;
but
thank
God
!
it
does
exist
.
Hilary
had
it
,
and
she
had
taught
it
to
Elizabeth
.
"
I
wonder
whether
Miss
Hilary
knows
of
this
?
I
wonder
what
she
would
say
to
it
?
"
And
now
arose
the
perplexing
ethical
question
aforesaid
,
as
to
whether
Elizabeth
ought
to
tell
her
.
It
was
one
of
Miss
Hilary
's
doctrines
—
the
same
for
the
kitchen
as
for
the
parlor
,
nay
,
preached
strongest
in
the
kitchen
,
where
the
mysteries
of
the
parlor
are
often
so
cruelly
exposed
—
that
a
secret
accidentally
found
out
should
be
kept
as
sacred
as
if
actually
confided
;
also
,
that
the
secret
of
an
enemy
should
no
more
be
betrayed
than
that
of
a
beloved
and
trusting
friend
.
"
Miss
Selina
is
n't
my
enemy
,
"
smiled
Elizabeth
:
"
but
I
'm
not
overfond
of
her
,
and
so
I
'd
rather
not
tell
of
her
,
or
vex
her
if
I
can
help
it
.
Any
how
,
I
'll
keep
it
to
myself
for
a
bit
.
"
But
the
secret
weighed
heavily
upon
her
,
and
besides
,
her
honest
heart
felt
a
certain
diminution
of
respect
for
Miss
Selina
.
What
could
she
see
to
like
in
that
common
looking
,
commonplace
man
,
whom
she
could
not
have
met
a
dozen
times
,
of
whose
domestic
life
she
knew
nothing
,
and
whose
personality
Elizabeth
,
with
the
sharp
observation
often
found
in
her
class
,
probably
because
coarse
people
do
not
care
to
hide
their
coarseness
from
servants
,
had
speedily
set
down
at
her
own
valuation
—
"
Neither
carriage
nor
horses
,
nor
nothing
,
will
ever
make
him
a
gentleman
?
"
He
,
however
,
sent
Miss
Selina
home
magnificently
in
the
said
carriage
;
Ascott
with
her
,
who
had
been
picked
up
somewhere
in
the
City
and
who
came
in
to
his
dinner
,
without
the
slightest
reference
to
going
"
out
of
town
.
"
But
in
spite
of
her
Lord
Mayor
's
Show
,
and
the
great
attention
which
she
said
she
had
received
from
"
various
members
of
the
Common
Council
of
the
City
of
London
,
"
Miss
Selina
was
,
for
her
,
meditative
,
and
did
not
talk
quite
so
much
as
usual
.
There
was
in
the
little
parlor
an
uncomfortable
atmosphere
,
as
if
all
of
them
had
something
on
their
minds
.
Hilary
felt
the
ice
must
be
broken
,
and
if
she
did
not
do
it
nobody
else
would
.
So
she
said
,
stealing
her
hand
into
Johanna
's
under
shelter
of
the
dim
fire-light
,
"
Selina
,
I
wanted
to
have
a
little
family
consultation
.
I
have
just
received
an
offer
.
"
"
An
offer
!
"
repeated
Miss
Selina
,
with
a
visible
start
.
"
Oh
,
I
forgot
;
you
went
to
see
your
friend
,
Miss
Balquidder
,
this
morning
.
Did
you
get
any
thing
out
of
her
?
Has
she
any
nephews
and
nieces
wanting
a
governess
?
"
"
She
has
no
relations
at
all
.
But
I
will
just
tell
you
the
story
of
my
visit
.
"
"
I
hope
it
's
interesting
,
"
said
Ascott
,
who
was
lying
on
the
sofa
,
half
asleep
,
his
general
habit
after
dinner
.
He
woke
,
however
,
during
his
Aunt
Hilary
's
relation
,
and
when
she
reached
its
climax
,
that
the
offer
was
for
her
to
manage
a
stationer
's
shop
,
he
burst
out
heartily
laughing
:
"
Well
,
that
is
a
rich
idea
.
I
'll
come
and
buy
of
you
.
You
'll
look
so
pretty
standing
behind
a
counter
.
"
But
Selina
said
,
angrily
,
"
You
cannot
even
think
of
such
a
thing
.
It
would
be
a
disgrace
to
the
family
.
"
"
No
,
"
said
Hilary
,
clasping
tightly
her
eldest
sister
's
hand
—
they
two
had
already
talked
the
matter
over
:
"
I
can
not
see
any
disgrace
.
If
our
family
is
so
poor
that
the
women
must
earn
their
living
as
well
as
the
men
,
all
we
have
to
see
is
that
it
should
be
honestly
earned
.
What
do
you
say
,
Ascott
?
"
She
looked
earnestly
at
him
;
she
wanted
sorely
to
find
out
what
he
really
thought
.
But
Ascott
took
it
,
as
he
did
every
thing
,
very
easily
.
"
I
do
n't
see
why
Aunt
Selina
should
make
such
a
fuss
.
Why
need
you
do
anything
,
Aunt
Hilary
?
Ca
n't
we
hold
out
a
little
longer
,
and
live
upon
tick
till
I
get
into
practice
?
Of
course
,
I
shall
then
take
care
of
you
all
;
I
'm
the
head
of
the
family
.
How
horribly
dark
this
room
is
!
"
He
started
up
,
and
gave
the
fire
a
fierce
poke
,
which
consumed
in
five
minutes
a
large
lump
of
coal
that
Hilary
had
hoped
—
oh
,
cruel
,
sordid
economy
—
would
have
lasted
half
the
evening
.
She
broke
the
uneasy
silence
which
followed
by
asking
Johanna
to
give
her
opinion
.
Johanna
roused
herself
and
spoke
:
"
Ascott
says
right
;
he
is
the
head
of
the
family
,
and
,
by-and-by
.
I
trust
will
take
care
of
us
all
.
But
he
is
not
able
to
do
it
now
,
and
meantime
we
must
live
.
"
"
To
be
sure
,
we
must
Auntie
.
"
"
I
mean
,
my
boy
,
we
must
live
honestly
;
we
must
not
run
into
debt
:
"
and
her
voice
sharpened
as
with
the
reflected
horror
of
her
young
days
—
if
,
alas
!
there
ever
had
been
any
youth
for
Henry
Leaf
's
eldest
daughter
.
"
No
,
Ascott
,
out
of
debt
out
of
danger
.
For
myself
"
—
she
laid
her
thin
old
fingers
on
his
arm
,
and
looked
up
at
him
with
a
pitiful
mixture
of
reliance
and
hopelessness
—
"
I
would
rather
see
you
breaking
stones
in
the
road
than
living
like
a
gentleman
,
as
you
call
it
,
and
a
swindler
,
as
I
call
it
,
upon
other
people
's
money
.
"
Ascott
sprang
up
,
coloring
violently
.
"
You
use
strong
language
,
Aunt
Johanna
.
Never
mind
.
I
dare
say
you
are
right
.
However
,
it
's
no
business
of
mine
.
Good-night
,
for
I
have
an
engagement
.
"
Hilary
said
,
gravely
,
she
wished
he
would
stay
and
join
in
the
family
consultation
.
"
Oh
no
;
I
bate
talking
over
things
.
Settle
it
among
yourselves
.
As
I
said
,
it
is
n't
my
business
.
"
"
You
do
n't
care
,
then
,
what
becomes
of
us
all
?
I
sometimes
begin
to
think
so
.
"
Struck
by
the
tone
,
Ascott
stopped
in
the
act
of
putting
on
his
lilac
kid
gloves
.
"
What
have
I
done
?
I
may
be
a
very
bad
fellow
,
but
I
'm
not
quite
so
bad
as
that
.
Aunt
Hilary
.
"
"
She
did
n't
mean
it
,
my
boy
,
"
said
Aunt
Johanna
,
tenderly
.
He
was
moved
,
more
by
the
tenderness
than
the
reproach
.
He
came
and
kissed
his
eldest
aunt
in
that
warm-hearted
,
impulsive
way
,
which
had
won
him
forgiveness
for
many
a
boyish
fault
.
It
did
so
now
.
"
I
know
I
'm
not
half
good
enough
to
you
,
Auntie
,
but
I
mean
to
be
.
I
mean
to
work
hard
,
and
be
a
rich
man
some
day
;
and
then
you
may
be
sure
I
shall
not
let
my
Aunt
Hilary
keep
a
shop
.
Now
,
good-night
,
for
I
must
meet
a
fellow
on
business
—
really
business
—
that
may
turn
out
good
for
us
all
,
I
assure
you
.
"
He
went
away
whistling
,
with
that
air
of
untroubled
,
good-natured
liveliness
peculiar
to
Ascott
Leaf
,
which
made
them
say
continually
that
he
was
"
only
a
boy
,
"
living
a
boy
's
life
,
as
thoughtless
and
as
free
.
When
his
handsome
face
disappeared
the
three
women
sat
down
again
round
the
fire
.
They
made
no
comments
on
him
whatever
;
they
were
women
,
and
he
was
their
own
.
But
—
passing
him
over
as
if
he
had
never
existed
—
Hilary
began
to
explain
to
her
sisters
all
particulars
of
her
new
scheme
for
maintaining
the
family
.
She
told
these
details
in
a
matter
of-fact
way
,
as
already
arranged
;
and
finally
hoped
Selina
would
make
no
more
objections
.
"
It
is
a
thing
quite
impossible
,
"
said
Selina
,
with
dignity
.
"
Why
impossible
?
I
can
certainly
do
the
work
;
and
it
can
not
make
me
less
of
a
lady
.
Besides
,
we
had
better
not
be
ladies
if
we
can
not
be
honest
ones
.
And
,
Selina
,
where
is
the
money
to
come
from
?
We
have
none
in
the
house
;
we
can
not
get
any
till
Christmas
.
"
"
Opportunities
might
occur
.
We
have
friends
.
"
"
Not
one
in
London
;
except
,
perhaps
,
Mr.
Ascott
,
and
I
would
not
ask
him
for
a
farthing
.
You
do
n't
see
,
Selina
,
how
horrible
it
would
be
to
be
helped
,
unless
by
some
one
dearly
loved
.
I
could
n't
bear
it
!
I
'd
rather
beg
,
starve
:
almost
steal
!
"
"
Do
n't
be
violent
,
child
.
"
"
Oh
,
but
it
's
hard
!
"
and
the
cry
of
long-smothered
pain
burst
out
.
"
Hard
enough
to
have
to
earn
one
's
bread
in
a
way
one
does
n't
like
;
harder
still
to
have
to
be
parted
from
Johanna
from
Monday
morning
till
Saturday
night
.
But
it
must
be
,
I
'll
go
.
It
's
a
case
between
hunger
,
debt
,
and
work
:
the
first
is
unpleasant
,
the
second
impossible
,
the
third
is
my
only
alternative
.
You
must
consent
,
Selina
,
for
I
will
do
it
.
"
"
Do
n't
!
"
Selina
spoke
more
gently
,
and
not
without
some
natural
emotion
.
"
Do
n't
disgrace
me
,
child
;
for
I
may
as
well
tell
you
—
I
meant
to
do
so
to-night
—
Mr.
Ascott
has
made
me
an
offer
of
marriage
,
and
I
—
I
have
accepted
it
.
"
Had
a
thunder-bolt
fallen
in
the
middle
of
the
parlor
at
No.
15
,
its
inmates
—
that
is
,
two
of
them
—
could
not
have
been
more
astounded
.
No
doubt
this
surprise
was
a
great
instance
of
simplicity
on
their
part
.
Many
women
would
have
prognosticated
,
planned
the
thing
from
the
first
;
thought
it
a
most
excellent
match
;
seen
glorious
visions
of
the
house
in
Russell
Square
,
of
the
wealth
and
luxury
that
would
be
the
portion
of
"
dear
Selina
,
"
and
the
general
benefit
that
the
marriage
would
be
to
the
whole
Leaf
family
.
But
these
two
were
different
from
others
.
They
only
saw
their
sister
Selina
,
a
woman
no
longer
young
,
and
not
without
her
peculiarities
,
going
to
be
married
to
a
man
she
knew
little
or
nothing
about
—
a
man
whom
they
themselves
had
endured
rather
than
liked
,
and
for
the
sake
of
gratitude
.
He
was
trying
enough
merely
as
a
chance
visitor
;
but
to
look
upon
Mr.
Ascott
as
a
brother-in-law
,
as
a
husband
—
"
Oh
,
Selina
!
you
can
not
be
in
earnest
?
"
"
Why
not
?
Why
should
I
not
be
married
as
well
as
my
neighbors
?
"
said
she
,
sharply
.
Nobody
arguing
that
point
,
both
being
indeed
too
bewildered
to
argue
at
all
,
she
continued
,
majestically
,
"
I
assure
you
,
sisters
,
there
could
not
be
a
more
unexceptionable
offer
.
It
is
true
,
Mr.
Ascott
's
origin
was
rather
humble
;
but
I
can
overlook
that
.
In
his
present
wealth
,
and
with
his
position
and
character
,
he
will
make
the
best
of
husbands
.
"
Not
a
word
