as;
m
i
i^mwm^x
L I B R.ARY
OF THE
UN 1VER.SITY
Of ILLINOIS
823
Jj^j'
^^ /^
THE
LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
J. ^ale 0f English Countri) gift.
THE AUTHOR OF "MARY POWELL."
Never her house or humble state torment her;
Less she would like, if less her God had sent her ;
And when she dies, green turf and grassy tomb content her."
Phineas Y-LwicviER.— The Purple Island.
' Altrui vile negletta, a me si cara,
Che non bramo tesor, ne real verga."
Tasso.— Za Gemsalemme Liberata Canto Setthno.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. L
LONDON:
RICHARD BENTLEY AND SON,
NEW BURLINGTON STREET.
{All Rights reserved.)
8S5
CONTENTS OF VOL. I.
* I. MISS BEAUMORICE CASTS UP HER ACCOUNTS
II. MISS BEAUMORICE STILL SEEMS MORE AD
DICTED TO GIVING THAN SAVING .
III. MISS beaumorice's excuse for her APPA
RENTLY RECKLESS COURSE .
rV^ MISS BEAUMORICE UNDERTAKES WHAT SHE
DID NOT BARGAIN FOR .
V. MISS beaumorice's TWELFTH NIGHT .
VI. DIPECUNIOSTTY
VII. A BRIDE ELECT . . * .
VIII. TWO OLD LADIES ....
IX. TEA-TABLE TALK • . •
X. VISITS AND VISITORS.
XI. A DINNER AT THE RECTORY .
XII. BEHIND THE SCENES ....
XIII. HERE A LITTLE AND THERE A LITTLE
XIV. PETTY CONFIDENCES ....
1
11
3G
54
73
88
108
130
157
188
216
236
246
272
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
CHAPTER I.
MISS BEAUMORICE CASTS UP HER ACCOUNTS.
" If happy, then it is in this intent,
That having small, yet do I not complain
Of want, nor wish for more it to augment.
But make myself with what I have content."
Spexsek. Faery Queen, book iv., canto 9.
T was always Miss Beaumorice's
custom to wind up her accounts
on the last night of the year.
She was but a lady of hmited income, but
as her habits were regular, and her desires
moderate, she had always contrived to
make both ends meet, and keep a small
VOL. I. 1
2 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
sum untouched in the county bank for a
rainy day.
So this annual winding up was rather a
luxury when it came round ; which it would
not and could not have been had she not been
methodical. She kept her accounts from
day to day, and from week to week ; first
entering every expense as it occurred in her
pocket-book, and then writing out each
week's expenses on the Saturday. And
another plan of hers was to pay for every-
thing in ready money, as far as practicable
— her butcher, baker, and grocer, every
week, her rent and wages every quarter,
to the day. So that if she had died sud-
denly at any time, nobody would have
been the worse, except for the loss of a
good tenant, a good mistress, a good cus-
tomer, and a good friend.
On the last evening of the year in ques-
tion, then. Miss Beaumorice, bemg alone
and at leisure, was seated at her pretty
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 3
davenport ^ith her account-book before
her. The first three quarters of the year
having been already summed up, there
only remained to add the last quarter to
them ; and lo ! when she had done so there
appeared a deficiency !
I am not going to say how much it was,
because you might either pooh-pooh it, or
say, " What a shame ! She ought to have
minded what she was about." Her income
was probably smaller than yours, so you
may ^^ on what you would consider rather
an annoying deficiency in your own case,
and suppose hers to have been a Httle
under that amount.
It took her by surprise, and vexed her.
She was not insolvent, but she had gone
beyond the mark ; and the question was,
in what particular ?
" All phenomena,'' says the Times, " are
the results of an almost infinite variety of
causes ; but in no case can the causes be
1—2
4 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME,
traced so far back as in the case of a de-
ficiency. The inquirer may attribute it to
almost any one of the events of the last
century."
" Ay, ay V say you. " How can that
be?"
Well, without concerning ourselves to
know how the Chancellor of the Exchequer
]ias sometimes made it out with respect to
the national budget, we may follow Miss
Beaumorice in her endeavours to trace her
much less important deficit. That she had
given freely had undoubtedly something to
do with it ; and any items exclusive of
charities, to that amount, which she might
have spared might be considered the items
she ought to have spared.
Say, for instance, her doctor's bill. If
she had not sent for the doctor she would
not have had the bill ; but without him
she might have died ; but yet she might
not. But if she had not been ill she need
THE LADY OF LUIITED INCOME. 5
not have had him, and she would not have
been ill if she had not caught cold that
very wet day in London. How came she
to catch cold ? By denying herself a cab
and walking through the rain. Why did
she deny herself a cab ? Because she
thought the expense might be spared, and
hoped the rain would not hurt her. Why
did she go out at all that wet day ? Be-
cause she wanted her dividends. Why
did she want her dividend without delay ?
Because otherwise she must have drawn
money from the county bank. You see by
this time how one might trace back to one
thing after another.
While Miss Beaumorice was leaning back
in her chair, immersed in not altogether
pleasant cogitations, the tinkle of St. Thad-
deus's bell suddenly roused her from her
reverie, and reminded her that, for the first
time in that district, a Church service was
to close the old year and usher in the new
6 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
one. She had heard and read of the
Methodists' watch-nights, and of the Mo-
ravians ushering in the new year with
sound of trum23ets, and she felt greatly
impelled to obey the call of this little bell
of St. Thaddeus. So she wrapped herself
up warmly, and, accompanied by one of
her maids, stepped out into the cold, clear
starlight, and proceeded briskly along the
white, hard-frozen road.
'' Are you going to church too '?" said a
cheerful • friend coming up to her. "I'm
so glad ! I hope it will be well attended.
How glorious Orion is to-night ! Look at
Charles's Wain."
Talking all the way to church the dis-
tance seemed but half its length.
How pretty St. Thaddeus looked, with
the light streaming through the lancet
windows ! There was not a full attend-
ance, for the novelty of the service induced
many to remain snugly toasting themselves
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME, 7
by their fires who might very well have
turned out ; but there were sundry cheer-
ful girls who had persuaded their brothers
to accompany them, sundry resolute ma-
trons who had exacted their husbands'
companionship ; so that what with young
men and maidens, old men, lone widows,
and school-children, the church was about
half full. It was well warmed, and a fine,
invisible web of Christian fellowship seemed
to connect them all together in bonds of
sympathy : the prayers were hearty, the
responses were hearty, the singing was
hearty. And then the incumbent, Mr.
Nuneham, gave a short stirring sermon
that went straight from his own heart to
the hearts of his hearers.
'' There are advantages," he said, " at-
tending the public worship of the church
which are peculiarly felt on an occasion
like this. Sobering thoughts, not untinged
with melancholy, are naturally called forth
8 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
by the consciousness that another year is
just departing beyond recall, and a new
year is about to open on us, fraught with
we know not what startling or saddening
events. Who of us can read the history
of the coming year ? The happier it finds
us, the more we have to lose. Even if we
stood alone in the world, and wrapped the
cloak of selfishness around us, and re-
treated from the threatened miseries of
others into the narrow citadel of our own
bosoms, we should be unable to resist the
impulses of sadness; but as it is, sur-
rounded by the closest and dearest ties, it
is agony to feel that though at this moment
we may be free from any pressing trouble
on their account, the next may snatch our
happiness away, and we may be left lonely
and desolate. I confess for my own part,
my friends" (and he was a family man
who spoke), " that I should be absolutely
miserable when I reflect on this, but for
THE LADY OF LULITED INCOME. 9
the practical support which religion gives
the soul ; and reasonable and reassuring is
it, therefore, for us thus to collect together,
thoughtfully to reconsider the difficulties
and dangers of the past year, from which no
foresight of our own could have spared us,
the mercies and blessings accorded which
no power of ours could have attained, and
thankfully to entrust our future to the
same loving Father who has led us thus
far on our journey ; honestly and faithfully
intending and promising to follow His
guidance. He deigning to continue our
helper."
This is enough for a sample. It need
only be added that the little handful of
people left the chiu'ch strengthened and
cheered onward, and that Miss Beaumorice
said within herself, —
" Lonely T may be, but wrapped in the
cloak of selfishness I will not be — God
being my helper."
10 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
The joyous bells were still ringing out in
honour of the birthday of the new year,
as if it needs must bring better gifts and
fewer troubles than the last. Every
English tower and steeple joined in that
glad acclaim, and yet those thankful notes
were not heard from one to another, for
many of them were far apart, and seemed
to the ringers alone in their melody — just
as the prayers of the faithful seem to them-
selves solitary, when in fact they will go
up together like the morning and evening
incense of the old dispensation, " which is
the prayers of the saints."
CHAPTEE 11.
MISS BEAUMORICE STILL SEEMS MOEE AD-
DICTED TO GIVING THAN SAVING.
" And what her charity impairs
She saves by prudence in affairs."
EW Year's day I Who can resist
keeping this day as the Jews
kept the fourteenth day of the
month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the
same — making them days of feasting and
joy, and of sending portions one to another,
and gifts to the poor? But how and if
you are poor yourself? Why, take your
gifts and be thankful.
"It is all very well,'' thought Miss
12 TILE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
Beaumorice, on waking, " to talk about
the extravagance of Noureddin of Balsora,
and laugh at his catch- word — ' It is a gift!'
— but, after all, he was a much more agree-
able fellow than that greedy Baba Abdalla,
who never knew when he had enough ;
and for my part, I would a thousand times
rather have had Noureddin's misfortunes
than those of the blind beggar, who asked
Haroun Alraschid to give him a box on the
ears. Though extremes should be avoided,
of course."
And she smiled as she thought of the
agreeable surprise she had prepared for her
maids, of two bright new silver thimbles.
But what was her own surprise when she
saw they had been beforehand with her,
and placed on her toilet a pretty pin-
cushion of spotted muslin over pink, with
little flower tumbler in the centre, ticketed
" From Jessy and Alice, wishing dear Miss-
Beaumorice a happy new year.''
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME, 13
" The good girls !" exclaimed she, quite
audibly, though softly ; and a tear shot
into her eye, for in the night she had lain
awake, thinking over her affairs, and that
detested deficiency had taken advantage
of loneliness, darkness, and silence, to
rear itself up in ridiculously exaggerated
proportions, till she had felt quite cowed
by it.
" I can go into lodgings," thought she ;
'' I can limit myself to one servant. I had,
indeed, hoped to keep Jessy till she was
married, by which time Alice would be quite
equal to a single-handed place, but no suitor
seems to turn up, and perhaps Jessy is
destined, like her mistress, to a single life.
I never would stand in the way of a
servant's respectably settling herself, as all
my girls have known in their turn ; but
Jessy's turn has not come yet, and perhaps
may not, though I can't think where the
young men's eyes are, for there is not a
14 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
prettier, pleasanter-looking girl in Lambs-
croft. Poor Jessy ! that would be a natural
way of parting with her, and I could keep
on with Alice without taking another. But
perhaps a different course is laid out for us.
Well, what must be must !"
And now here was this little offering,
which really, considering the circumstances
of the donors, was quite touching. Sweet
and serious thoughts took possession of her
mind, and as she dressed she repeated to
herself the New Year's hymn, beginning, —
" I come, my Lord, to offer up to Thee
A worthless but a willing offering :
A heart where only evil I can see,
Yet not, for that, refuse the gift I bring.
Oh deign to accept it — cast each evil out,
And make it i:)ure and new within, without.
" I come, my Lord, to offer up to Thee
The brief remainder of life's fleeting span ;
Whate'er I have or am Thine own shaU be ;
Without Thee I will form no wish or plan.
Time, talent, influence, actions, thoughts and words,
All— all be unreservedly my Lord's."
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 15
Idle words ! — worse than idle, if uttered
without sincere intention of fulfilment. But
she did intend it, though in a vague, unde-
fined way.
On her breakfast-table, oh ! what a heap
of letters ! good wishes of the season.
Some from scattered members of her family,
some on engraved cards — invitations to
subscribe to charitable societies in want of
funds — to a volunteer corps in want of
colours — to a church in want of a steeple —
to help a decayed gentlewoman to support
a large family.
" How am I to do it, who am a decayed
gentlewoman barely able to support a
small one ? Why need a church have a
steeple ? Why need volunteers have
colours ? Ah, I should like to subscribe
to this orphan asylum. Two bills ?
when I don't owe a penny ! Why, now,
this is too bad of Marriott to send in
this account again, when I have his receipt
16 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
on the file. This other, for a riding-whip
and walking-cane, is of course a mistake, or
a very si>upid joke. Who can this be
from ?" (opening another envelope). " Alured
Ward, I declare !"
This Alured Ward was the son of an
English physician in a foreign court; his
mother, who was dead, had been Miss Beau-
morice's early friend, she had therefore a
very tender feeling towards this youth,
whom she had never seen, nor as yet com-
municated with by letter, and she therefore
with lively interest read the following
lines : —
" Dec. 30, 186—.
"Dear Miss Beaumorice, —
Will you, in consideration of my
being my mother's son, forgive this imper-
tinent intrusion ? My father charged me
to make acquaintance with you, and if you
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 17
will give me leave, I will run down to you
from Saturday to Monday. I hope this
wiU not inconvenience you very much, but
there is time to write and tell me if it is so.
I have been cramming pretty hard lately
for my pass examination, and have rather
overdone it, but I am very anxious not to
get plucked, for my father's sake as well as
my own. Hoping soon to see you, (111
come by the five-thirty) and wishing you
the compliments of the season, I am, dear
Miss Beaumorice, faithfully yours,
" Arthur Alured Ward.'"'
It was not much of a note, but she was
exceedingly pleased with it. A smile stole
over her face.
" How very apropos^' thought she, " that
I have asked Mary to come down. If any-
thing comes of it it will not be my doing —
/ have not brought them together. Things
VOL. I. 2
18 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
must take their chance. Stay; here is a
line from Mary."
It ran thus : —
" My Dear Miss Beaumokice, —
" It will be of trivial moment to you,
but is an extreme disappointment to me,
that I cannot leave home at present. Let
me hope that you will kindly give me some
future opportunity of coming to you. Wish-
ing you many very happy years, believe me,
my dear Miss Beaumorice, your affectionate
young friend,
"Mary Beaufort."
'* No, Mary, I won't believe it ; you are
a very tiresome child. If there is anything
I hate, it is people disappointing me when
I ask them to come, and proposing to come
when I don t ask them."
So she wrote Mary rather a dry an-
swer, and then wrote Alured a very plea-
sant one, begging him to come and stay as
THE LADY OF LUIITED INCOME. 19
long as he could. By tlie time she had
concluded this genial composition she was
disposed to forgive Mary for what, after all,
she could not help ; so she burnt her note
to her, and wrote a second fall of kindli-
ness.
All the while she was ]3enning these let-
ters she was worried by the music of a
hand-organ playing outside the house.
" What nuisances those organ-boys are !"
thought she ; "I make it a principle not to
encourage them, much as they are to be
pitied for being mere tools in the hands of
designing speculators."
Yet, shortly afterwards, as she was car-
rying her letters to the post, and saw, to
her surprise, that the organ-player was not
a boy, but a girl of twelve or thirteen, look-
ing very worn and wan, she was touched
with pity, and gave her a penny. The
little girl's large dark eyes instantly bright-
ened as she said, —
2—2 •
20 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
" Grazie, signora !"
" That organ is too heavy for you," said
Miss Beaumorice, stopping short. " Have
you been in England long T
With a very foreign accent the little girl
replied, —
" Two year, my lady."
" Where do you come from ?"
" Grenoa, my lady."
" Are you an orphan ?"
" My father dead, my lady." And she
looked sad.
The little girl was not exactly pretty,
her long straight nose was too large, and
her skin very pallid, and not over-clean ;
but she reminded Miss Beaumorice of a
very noble type of beauty, and, what was
of more importance in her estimation, had
a good, intelligent brow^, expressive eyes,
and a mouth betokening a sweet disposi-
tion.
** Are you happy T said she.
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 21
*' Ah, no, not happy/' And the little
gu-Fs eyes filled with tears.
" Are you kindly treated T
" The lady will excuse me ; I have very
little Enghsh."
" I think you speak English very nicely.
What is your name T
" Rosina, my lady."
" E-osina is a very pretty name. Who
takes care of you ?"
" My mother, my lady."
'' Oh ! you have a mother, have you ?
Where is she T
'' In the town, my lady."
" Humph ! Well, Eosina, I wish I could
put you into a better way of life. Suppose
your mother comes to speak to me to-mor-
row morning. I live in that white house."
" Si, signora."
" And here is sixpence for you for having
taken up your time. I should like to talk
to you a Httle longer, but I am in a hurry
22 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME,
just now. Be a good girl, Eosina, what-
ever jou do. You know what being good
is — be a good girl."
" Oh yes, my lady !" (and there were
tears in her eyes), " I %mll be good — I don't
do nothing bad."
As Miss Beaumorice pursued her way
she thought, " I am sure there is good in
that child — perhaps the making of a good
and noble character ; but how little I had
to say to her ! What's the use of being
able to read Tasso and Manzoni and Silvio
Pelhco, if the right words don't come at
the right moment ? A few Italian phrases
would have unlocked her heart. Happy
the people who can make their acquire-
ments available, and say just the right
thing at the right time."
Italy, its wrongs and its rights, its short-
comings and its aspirations, occupied Miss
Beaumorice's thoughts most of the way to
the post-office. Afterwards she looked in
TEE LADY OF LIMITED IXCOME. 23
on Miss Partridge, who had accompanied
her to church the previous evening. Miss
Partridge was a governess of superior at-
tainments, who had overworked herself in a
too arduous situation, and was now availing
herself of the Christmas holidays to recruit
her health in country lodgings. Her attack
was chiefly on the nerves ; and though, in
a general way, quiet is the best panacea for
that complaint, yet, to a naturally active,
mind, quiet and cessation of employment
sometimes prove the worst of torments.
Miss Partridge could usually get through
the day pretty well if she were able
to have a Httle exercise in the open air ;
but she had taken cold overnight, and fan-
cied herself obliged in common prudence to
keep the house, where she unfortunately
was overtaken by a fit of low spirits.
Nothing could be more propitious for her,
then, than this visit from Miss Beaumorice,
who began by hearing of all her complaints.
24 TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
and ended by making her forget them.
She even persuaded her that it would not
hurt her to take an early cup of tea with
her ; and they had a quietly cheerful even-
ing together.
Rosina came next morning with red eyes
to say her mother was very ill and unable
to leave her bed. Miss Beaumorice imme-
diately thought that she might have weakly
yielded to sentiment in this case, and was
being imposed upon. To satisfy herself
whether it were so, she made the little girl
take her to the low lodging-house where her
mother was lying, and by the way made use
of such Italian as she could muster, to ask
her several searching questions. Du'ectly
Hosina found herself addressed m her own
language, her countenance cleared in a won-
derful manner, and she began to speak a
great deal too rapidly in Italian for Miss
Beaumorice to follow her ; but yet she ob-
tained a general idea of her story, a sad
TRE LADY OF LIMIT ED INCOME. 25
one, and felt her kindly impressions re-
vive.
Tlie low lodging-house to which they
were going, in spite of having once been a
mansion of importance, was now a mere
nest of tramps. Outside, it was picturesque
with post and pillar work, and had mottos
and armorial devices ; inside, the wide,
shallow oaken staircase, with heavy carved
banisters like Horace Walpole's at Straw-
berry Hill, had great apertures ready to
trip up the unwary, with fowls perched on
the handrails that fluttered off with a
screeching cry as they passed.
It was so dark that Miss Beaumorice
groped and stumbled after her light-footed
guide, till she opened a creaking door at
the head of the stairs. The room was of
noble proportions, but the atmosphere was
so close as to be quite sickening, and it did
not seem to have known a scrubbing-brush
and pail of water since the days of its
26 THE LADY OF LIMITED IJSCOME.
old glories. A group of shabby women,
gathered about the sick bed, looked round,
and some with instinctive respect curtseyed
to Miss Beaumorice as she entered, while
others regarded her with a hard stare.
" We can't understand a word she says,"
said one of them.
'' Let me try," said Miss Beaumorice^
gently ; and stooping over the poor woman,
she spoke a few words in Italian — perhaps
only " Come state ?""' but few as they were,
they fell like music on the poor creature's
ear. She was evidently very ill, nay,
dying, and she asked for a priest. Miss
Beaumorice told her there was not one
within reach, but then with a great effort
calling to mind the Italian version of the
Lord's Prayer, she slowly and reverently
repeated it, and the poor woman's face
became tranquillized. She murmured some-
thing about '' La mia figlia," and Miss Beau-
* How are you 1
THE LADY OF LUHTEB IXCOME. 27
morice gathered that her chief anxiety was
about her child. She said, —
"Be at ease aloout her. I will do for
her what I can.''
A look of joy lighted up the mother s
face : the next instant she was racked with
pain ; and the parish doctor s assistant
coming in, pronounced it a case of organic
disease, and said life could not be prolonged
many hours. In fact, the poor woman died
soon afterwards, much soothed by Miss
Beaumorice's ministrations ; her burial de-
volved on the parish, and was conducted
with almost as much celerity as it would
have been in her own land. The orphan
Rosina must either go to the workhouse,
trudge to London on foot with her organ
at her back, or receive temporary shelter
from Miss Beaumorice. She took her home
with her, and spoke thus to her maids : —
" Jessy and Alice, I never find you want-
ing in kindness. This poor little girl has
28 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
lost her mother and is friendless. She will
not be here long, for I shall soon put her in
proper charge ; but meanwhile we will clean
her and dress her and be kind to her. You
know who said, ' I was a stranger, and ye
took me in.' ''
This was quite enough. The good girls
took Eosina away, to have due washing
and brushing, while Miss Beaumorice
from her stores of mended and ready-made
garments produced a complete suit of
clothes in which, at prayer-time, she made
her appearance neatly dressed.
Earlier in the evening Miss Beaumorice
wrote to the secretary of a London mis-
sionary society, begging him to put her in
communication with one of the missionaries
to the Italians in London.
This was on the Thursday ; on the Satur-
day she received not a letter but a visit
from Signer Emmanuele Bonomi, who in
his outward man was exactly her heait ideal
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 29
of il re galant^-uomo, only with a beard
instead of a moustache.
This excellent man had originally been
educated for the priesthood, but had been
withdrawn from the Romish faith by the
perusal of the Bible. To escape the In-
quisition he fled to England, where the
only method of support that immediately
presented itself was teaching his own
language. Means of usefulness, however,
occurred among his poorer countrymen in
London, and the object he constantly kept
in view was the welfare of his beloved
Italy. Finding himself one day beside the
dying bed of a poor artist, who was about
to leave his little girl destitute in a land of
strangers. Signer Bonomi soothed his last
moments by promising to adoj)t her, and
he took the httle girl home to his wife, in
faith that means would be aflbrded them
for her support. That very day he received
^YQ shillings anonymously, as an earnest of
30 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
a supply which ever after, from one quarter
or another, flowed in sufficient for his
exigencies. He had long desired to train
female teachers for Italy, in the belief that
her day of regeneration was at hand, and
he added one little orphan after another to
his home, till nineteen Italian girls were in
Protestant training, and fitted by their ac-
complishments for superior governesses and
schoolmistresses, just as the opening for
them occurred.
Such was the outline of the history of
the brisk, cheerful-looking man who now
called on Miss Beaumorice. She had just
prevailed on Miss Partridge, who had
looked in on her, to remain and partake of
her early dinner, for a friend had sent her a
hare and a brace of pheasants, and Miss
Beaumorice was strong in the consciousness
of having a better entertainment in store
than usual. Alured would not come till
the evening, but one of the pheasants
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME, 31
would not keep, and there was still another
in reserve for him, besides the hare ; so
what could be more fortunate for the lady
of limited income than her having it in her
power to invite friends on the spur of the
moment to a repast she might be modestly
proud of ?
But first she must hear what her dis-
tinguished-looking visitor had to say ; and
as she took a lively interest in the spiritual
and social progress of Italy, she was eager
to hear the latest news from an authentic
source. Soon her visitor, finding himself
with sympathizers, was giving animated
details ; but though he could tell of the
circulation of twenty thousand Bibles, in a
land hitherto closed against the Scriptures,
and of twenty three thousand pupils in the
elementary schools of the ex-kingdom of
Naples, where the people had hitherto been
systematically debarred from instruction, he
owned that not many rich, not many noble,
32 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
were yet called from darkness into light.
It was chiefly among the artisan class, as
in the days of the apostles, that the word
of the Lord grew and prevailed.
He checked himself in the midst of this
interesting subject to inquire about the little
girl, concerning whom Miss Beaumorice had
written. She rang for Eosina, who came
in, looking very sad, but neat and clean.
She underwent a long examination from
him, and was then sent back to the kitchen.
Signer Bonomi observed that she seemed
so utterly without relations or natural
guardians that it would be a work of charity
to put her in the way of some respectable
livelihood, and at the same time of religious
instruction. He was already empowered
by his wife to state her concurrence in any
arrangement he should make for undertak-
ing her charge on the quarterly payment of
a very moderate sum ; and our lady of
limited income, on hearing it named, at
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 33
once decided to advance it, at whatever
cost of her own convenience. She would
not let such an opportunity be lost.
" It would not do," Signer Bonomi ob-
served, " to try to rescue all the little organ
boys and girls from their precarious life,
unless with an express vocation for such a
service ; but because one could not save all,
was no reason for not saving one."
And his eyes kindled as he told how
means had always flowed in to him from
one source or another, ever since he began
his life of faith.
" Life is not given us for mere elegant
and intellectual recreation, signora. On
every side of us how much work there is
to be done ! A true genius always finds
new subjects for his pen or pencil, and the
benevolent need never be long in search
for a new vocation."
. This was so completely Miss Beaumorice's
own opinion, that she gave it her cordial
VOL. I. 3
34 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
npproval, and then it was that, Sign or
Bonomi rising to take leave just as the
clock struck one, she, strong in the con-
sciousness of being able to dispense ox-tail
soup and pheasant, pressed him to lunch at
her early dinner with such frank cordiality,
that he, being a hungry man, gladly com-
plied.
Then, it need hardJy be said, ensued the
feast of reason and the flow of soul, for
they had a most comfortable chat on Italian
literature, and he quoted some beautiful
verses which were new to them, by Giovanni
Prati, a modern poet, who has successfully
grafted the romantic ballad on the poetical
literature of his country. They were
"Lines written to the Order of King
Charles Albert, in 1843 ;" and after reciting
them con spirito^ he added with a smile,
" they have had the honour of being pro-
hibited."
" Dear me !" exclaimed Miss Beaumorice
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 35
when he had gone, taking Eosma with him,
'^ I feel as if I could work my fingers to
the hone to help such a man as that ; don't
you r
" Yes, I think I do/' said Miss Partridge.
'^Dont let us content ourselves with
mere feehngs then."
" But what can I do ? I have so little
money."
" But you have plenty of talent, and you
know he said some ladies were going to
hold a bazaar for the benefit of the mission.
Let us work for it."
Agreed.
3—2
CHAPTEE III.
MISS beaumorice's excuse for her ap-
parently RECKLESS COURSE.
" She finds in that fair deed a sacred joy,
That will not perish, and that cannot cloy."
Crabhe.
ITHERTO we have not seen any
symptoms of retrenchment on
Miss Beaumorice's part ; on the
contrary, she appears launching out into
expenses which, call them by what name
you will, she cannot afford. But let me
whisper a word in the candid reader s ear.
When Miss Beaumorice wrote to the
society's secretary, she knew perfectly well
that she was booking herself for a contribu-
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
tion of some sort towards Eosina's expenses.
She also knew that she had predestined a
certain sum to the purchase of a new dress
and bonnet ; but these she, at a word and
at the moment, gave up decisively, defini-
tively, not to hanker for them afterwards,
but having looked the sacrifice well in the
face and accepted it, to make it and
think no more of it. And this is self-
denial.
Well, Signer Bonomi and Rosina were
gone ; Miss Partridge was gone ; she had
sped the parting guests, and had now to
welcome the coming one. But the " five-
thirty " and the " six-thirty '' trains came
in, and the tiresome fellow did not arrive.
What? had she prepared custards, and
mince pies, and aired her best bed-linen,
and given out her best plate and table-
linen, and rummaged out a boot-jack and
hat-brush, and ordered beef and Bath chap
and anchovy paste and herrings for a
38 TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
youngster who was going to disappoint
her ? It was too bad of him.
One thing was clear, he could not come
now, if he came at all, till supper-time.
She must have tea without him ; and she
looked askance at the hot buttered cake
that she had ordered for his benefit.
" This reminds me," thought she as she
was about to sweeten her tea, " I forgot to
order sugar. I doubt if there is enough
to last till Monday. There is enough for
one, but not for two. Then why should
not he be the one? and why should I drink
sugar any more ? Excellent ! here is re-
trenchment the first."
The complacence occasioned by this reso-
lution actually sweetened her tea to that
degree, that no amount of saccharine
matter could have sweetened it better.
Pleased with herself, she concluded her
slight repast, took another survey of the
guest-chamber, and then sat down before a
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 39
good fire to enjoy a book. A book, to be
enjoyed, let me tell you, must not be cur-
sorily read. " Eeading without purpose,"
says Lord Lytton, "is sauntering, not
exercise. More is got from one book on
which the thought settles for a definite
end in knowledge, than from libraries
skimmed over by a wandering eye. A
cottage flower gives honey to the bee, a
king's garden none to the butterfly."
Miss Beaumorice's book may have been
" Caxtoniana," or it may have been "Friends
in Council/' or it may have been something
else ; but, whatever it was, she came pre-
sently to the following sentence in it : —
" Count St. Florentin, minister of Louis
the Fifteenth, remarked that a geometrical
balance in taxes diminishes their weight."
" Dear me !" thought she, " what is a
geometrical balance ? Could I apply it to
my accounts ? Would it really diminish
their weight ? Their apparent weight, I
40 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
suppose he meant. I must get some geo-
metrician to explain it to me. I wonder
whether Alured studies geometry ? He is
cramming, I know, but I have not the
least idea in what way. I wonder whether
he is clever or stupid — spoilt or unspoilt —
pleasant or not, like his father or like his
mother ? I shall soon know ; that is, if he
comes, but perhaps he won't. Young-
people have no notion how they annoy
elder people by unpunctuality and non-
performance of engagements. They con-
tract these faults quite unconcernedly ;
but they would not if they viewed things
and persons in their just proportions."
Between reading and musing the time
sped away, till Miss Beaumorice was lite-
rally startled by a loud peal of the house-
bell, followed by a stir in the hall, a quick,
firm, masculine step, and the sound of a
masculine voice. Miss Beaumorice has-
tened to welcome the newly arrived, and as
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 41
she opened the door the light fell full on
the bright face of a very tall lath of a
young man, who extended his hand to
meet hers as he gaily said, —
" I haven't kept you waiting, I hope ?"
Oh the wretch ! —
" If to his share some human errors fall,
Look in his face, and you'll forget them all."
Louisa s face ! — his mother s dark blue
eyes, slightly aquiline nose, and dimple in
the left cheek. Miss Beaumorice's heart
was his at first sight — he was the child of
her early friend !
And what a good-natured, sweet-tem-
pered fellow ! what a breath of youth and
life and hopefulness accompanied him into
the room and hung about him like a halo !
Oh, there was no mistake about Alured ;
no guile in his composition : he might not
be very deep ; he was unmistakably very
pleasant ; frank, droll, artless, — -just the
42 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
youth one would like for a nephew or a
younger brother.
And what a talker ! Miss Beaumorice
need not have troubled herself to think
how she should entertain him. He enter-
tained her, and brought his own entertain-
ment with him. A sympathetic auditor or
two, — that was all Alured wanted. If
young and pretty, all the better, — if not,
never mind.
"And how old are you, Alured? I
suppose I may call you so."
" Yes, ma'am, by all means. I shall
be of age in ten months."
" In other words, you have just turned
twenty."
" If you prefer those other words."
"And so you are going into the
army."
" If I pass."
" Oh, surely there 's no doubt of
that r
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 43
*' Well, they do ask a fellow such a lot
of hard questions."
" Oh, but that is all for your good, and
the advantage of your profession."
'* What can it signify to a man in actual
service whether he knows how many square
miles there are in Poland ?"
" Oh,- but that's easily learnt."
" Perhaps when youVe learnt it they
don't ask you about it, but ask what's the
extent of the French Empire."
'' That's according !"
" Ah, but that wouldn't do. I should
like to try it on, though ! That's accord-
ing to the Emperor's mind. Shouldn't I
get a black look !"
"Do you study geometry ?"
" Oh, well, not much."
" Can you tell me how a geometrical
balance in taxes diminishes their weight ?"
"Why, you're worse than the exami-
ners," said he, bursting out laughing.
44 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
" No, to be sure I can't. Why, what a
question to floor a poor fellow ! Why, are
you a geometrician T
"No indeed," said she, laughing. ''I
only picked up the phrase just now in a
book, and wanted to understand it."
" Ah, well, you must ask somebody with
a longer head than mine. I can't go into
those things. Somehow, when I get my
tutor to explain them, his explanations are
no explanations at all. I want things
made clearer to me. I don't believe I'm
very deep. Sometimes I think I shan't
pass."
And here he gave a great sigh.
" When is the examination to come
on?"
" In March."
" Oh, that is a good way off. You have
plenty of time before you, if you do but
make use of it."
" I'm afraid I shan't make use of it.
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 45
Not to good purpose, you know. I'm sure
I sit for hours over my books, and only get
into a muddle. There are fellows up in
that sort of thing, who tie wet towels
round their heads."
"Yes, but I advise you not to follow
that plan/'
" Those wet towel men come to grief
sometimes, I know."
'^ Indeed they do, and sometimes bring
on palsy of the brain. There is a point,
beyond which it is of no good to force the
intellect — the mind becomes exhausted,
and the student's end is defeated. Regular
study at stated hours, and not unduly pro-
longed, will produce greater results than
unremitting labour. The human machine
cannot bear it."
"Indeed, Miss Beaumorice, I am sure
you are right ; I wonder you should know
so much about it."
" Oh, I read, and I see."
46 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
" You might add, ' And I think/ "
After this he told her of the training he
was undergoing.
" Don't be alarmed if you hear some un-
accountable noises in my room when I'm at
my exercises."
''What, on Sunday mornings ?"
"Well, no, not to-morrow morning.
But on Monday you may think I'm going
to bring the house down."
" If you do, I shall expect you to set it
up again. Are you sure that such violent
exercise is good for you ? You don't look
very strong."
" Oh yes, I am — only I've shot up rather
fast. I could lift you up to the ceiling
with ease on my locked hands. Shall I ?"
" No, thank you, I think we might be
better employed."
" I'm stronger than I look, though ; and
pretty good at running and hopping. I
suppose you haven't a shower-bath ?"
THE LADY OF LUHTED INCOME. 47
" Why, yes, I have ; but it is in my
room, not yours."
Chatting in this desultory fashion during
supper and after it, they did not part till
the old clock on the stall's struck eleven.
Miss Beaumorice mused a good deal as she
undressed, and after she was in bed.
What early memories he recalled ! Many
of his httle ways were exactly Louisa's \
and the inflections of his voice sometimes
were the echoes of hers. Miss Beaumorice
was sorry to think he looked consumptive.
His eyes were unnaturally bright, his
cheeks thin, though briUiantly coloured;
the blue veins were traceable on his trans-
parent forehead.
" Poor fellow !" thought she, " he seems
so full of heart and hope ! It will be
sad indeed if he should be early cut
off."
After what he had said, with a little
brag, of his early rising, she was rather
48 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
surprised next morning at his being late
for breakfast.
" Well/' said Alured, by way of excuse,
*' you know you prohibited my exercising,
so I thought I might as well indulge a
little ; and as there was a bookshelf in my
room, I took a book and had a nice spell of
it in bed."
'' Pray, what was the book ?"
He looked rather ashamed, and said,
'' Oh, that is too bad !"
'^ Nay, I did not mean to embarrass you.
I know there are no objectionable books in
the room, and only was interested in
knowing what had interested you'*
He would not say, however ; and she
then accused him of having selected a
novel.
'' I really forget the name of it/' said he,
" and what it was about. I do indeed."
" Oh, then, in fact, you took a book and
fell asleep again instead of reading it."
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 49
" It may have been so — I believe it was.
I think it was a cookery book, with plates
of joints and directions how to carve them,
— ' Fix your fork in the centre of the
breast ; sHce it down in the hnes a 6/ and
so on. And so I thouo-ht how I should
like a shoe from a to 6."
" Well, I think you were as well sleep-
ing as reading such stuff as that. Will
you help yourself to some Bath chap ?"
" Will you let me help you from a to h V
After breakfast he turned over in a
cursory way the vaiious Sunday books
which Miss Beaumorice had dispersed about
with considerable art, on the principle of
cobwebs to catch flies, all of them being
more or less alluring. He seemed much
more inclined, however, to talk than to
read, and presently asked her if she had
read " The Pentateuch Exposed."
*' No," said she, *' I should think it waste
of time."
VOL. I. 4
60 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
'^Should you?" said Alured. "Well,
now, I should like to see what the writer
has to say for himself."
" When I have read all the good books,
it will be time enough to begin the bad
ones."
Alured laughed, and seemed to think
this a good idea.
*' That's just such an answer," said he,
" as I should like to be able to make to
fellows sometimes, when they propose
something they know I shan't like."
"You should cultivate readiness. A
smart answer sometimes stands us in better
stead than a wise one."
"Yes, only I'm never ready. I'm like
Athelstan the Unready."
" Readiness may be cultivated."
" Why should you call the * Exposition '
a bad book T
" Oh, I don't think it would interest you
if I were to go fully into it."
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 51
" Isn't it a good thing, then/' said he
quickly, "for a fellow to know what to say
when he hears another praising it ?"
"Indeed it is, Alured. Tell me now,
you who are young, — so many years younger
than I am, have not you some strong ideas
on the subject of friendship ?"
" Well, I beheve I have : I suppose
every one has." ,
" I have, for one, I assure you. I love
my friends very strongly, and cannot bear
to hear them attacked or depreciated ; can
you r
" No, certainly not."
"I suppose we may readily admit our
Saviour to be the best and greatest of
friends to us, whatever we may be to
Him."
" Yes, certainly," said Alured, gravely.
" Now, as it would undoubtedly repel
me to hear any one misrepresenting and
detracting from an earthly friend, it does
4—2
UNIVERSITY Of
laiNOIS UBRAf
52 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
po in a mucli greater degree to hear him do
so with regard to our Lord. Jesus spoke
truth. He called Himself the truth ; we
believe and are sure that falsehood never
passed His lips. He tells us the Scripture
cannot be broken. The author of ' The
Pentateuch Exposed' thinks that it can.
He affects to distinguish between what is
and what is not inspired. "We read that
all Scripture is given by inspiration. And
by the term Scripture used by our Lord
and His apostles is meant the Old Testa-
ment, beginning with the f\.Ye books of
Moses ; our Lord constantly quoted and
appealed to them. He ascribes to them
the authority of a law. He made belief in
Moses a test of belief or unbelief. 'For
had ye believed Moses, ye would have be-
lieved Me.' ' If they hear not Moses and
the prophets, neither will they be persuaded
though one rose from the dead.' "
" I see "
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 53
The bells began to ring for cburch.
*' What a nice talk we have had !" said
Alured. "I like gouig into things this
way.".
CHAPTER IV.
MISS BEAUMORICE UNDERTAKES WHAT SHE
DID NOT BARGAIN FOR.
" When pain and sickness wring the brow,
A ministering angel thou !"
SW Walter Scott.
IGHT closed on a peaceful, cheer-
ful, profitable Sabbath. Miss
Beaumorice had had a great deal
less reading than usual, but an immense
amount of talking ; and though it had been
very desultory, and sometimes lightened
by pleasantries, many a forcible truth had
been spoken, many an old fact shown in a
new and striking light. She thankfully
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 55
laid her head on her pillow and yielded to
dreamless sleep.
How long she had slept she knew not,
but she was awakened while it was yet
dark, except for the faint light of her night-
mortar, by an extraordinary pulsation or
thrilling of her bed.
" An earthquake I" thought she ; '^ how
singular ! how awful ! And yet I don't
feel in the least afraid." It ceased, and
then recurred. This time she ivas alarmed,
whatever she might tell herself to the con-
trary. " We may as well all be together,"
thought she, ringing the night-bell smartly
for her maids. Down came Jessy, with
her gown slipped over her night dress, and
her bare feet shpped into her shoes.
'* Did you ring, ma'am ?" said she, " I'm
afraid you are ill."
" No, I am not, but a most extra-
ordinary There it is again !" said
she, excitedly, and springing from her bed.
56 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
" Whatever is Mr. Ward a doing of in
his room ?" said Jessy, as the china and
glass rattled.
'' Mr. Ward ! It can't be him in the
middle of the night ?"
" It's close upon ^yq, ma'am, the clock's
warning now. I can hear him stamping."
'* Tiresome fellow ! at his exercises, I
suppose," muttered Miss Beaumorice, dis-
gusted at her unnecessary fright. " You
may go to bed for another hour, Jessy."
At breakfast time, she said to her visi-
tor, —
" What were you doing between four and
five o'clock this morning T
" Oh, you heard me, did you ?" said
Alured, rather consciously.
" Heard you ? yes, and felt you too ! I
reaUy thought it was an earthquake. Do
tell me what you were about."
"Why, first I was slapping my left
shoulder with my right hand, and then my
THE LADY OF LI 211 TED INCOME. 57
right shoulder with my left hand. After
that, I had forty hops. Perhaps that was
the earthquake. Then I put sixpence on the
floor and sat do^^^l with my back to it, and
leant backwards to pick up the sixpence in
any mouth ; only the chair fell over and so
did I."
'' But, in the dark T
" Oh no, I had matches."
" Wliat could make you do such things
at such an unaccountable time ?"
'' (3h, I thought.as I was late yesterday,
I'd be early to-day."
'' But you were not in time for break-
fast."
" No, I turned in again after half an
hour's dumb-belling."
" I'm afraid these exercises must be too
violent for you."
" Not at all. Oh no. You don't know
what strength there is in me."
" At what time must I lose you to-day ?"
58 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
"Well/' said he, hesitatingly, ''do you
want me to go T
*' I ? certainly not, if you can stay !"
" I can stay till to-morrow — that is,,
if you don't mind my exercising ; but
even the loss of one day, in training, is
felt."
"Oh, you are welcome to exercise, as
long as you don't hurt yourself. I am
only afraid of your overdoing it."
" Never fear ; there's no danger. I have
been so long debarred from female society,
that you can't think how acceptable a little
of it is."
" A lady of my age cannot hope to make
her society very agreeable to a young
man "
" Oh yes, indeed ! I like it of all
things "
"I wish I could give you a little
variety."
" What sort of variety ?"
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 59
"A few young people, for instance, to
come in in the evening."
*''That would be famous. If I might
suggest those pretty girls in the pork-pie
hats "
" Pretty girls ? I am at a loss to think
who you can mean."
" You nodded to them yesterday. The
young ladies in pilot-coats and cravats "
" Oh, the Miss Gamblers ? They are no
favourites of mine "
" Why not ?" said he with interest.
" They are hardly lady-like, hardly femi-
nine ; their dress, for instance, is ' the very
bush or sign hanging out, which tells that
a vain mind lodges within ' "
" Well, it is rather loud, perhaps "
" No, if I invite some young people, it
will not be the Miss Gamblers, though I do
not wish to be hard upon them, for they
have not had many advantages. We will
call upon some model young ladies by and
60 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
by. Meanwhile I must attend for a little
while to my house affairs."
" And I to my exercising."
For this purpose he betook himself into
the leafless garden, where a young lad
named Hodge w^as piling faggots ; and
presently Alured was to be seen playing
leap-frog with him and flying over his head.
After this they contrived a leaping bar,
which Hodge put higher and higher, and
Miss Beaumorice, viewing the proceedings
through the store closet window, thought
of the bystanders in " The Grasshopper and
the Cricket," who
" Admired the monstrous leaps he made,
And one and all pronounced him mad."
She was blanching almonds, a pretty piece
of female housewifery which the most deli-
cate fingers may perform unharmed.
" He's a nice creature," thought she,
''but how sadly behind - hand ! I'm
afraid he won't pass. To think of his
TEE LADY OF LUIITED IXC02IE. 61
knowing nothing about the Congress of
Vienna, or the battle of Borodino. If his
mother had lived to bring him up, it would
have been very different. His heart is cer-
tainly in the right place ; how affectionately
he spoke of her, though he was quite a
child when she died ; and with what in-
terest he listened to my recollections of her.
There he goes again ! now he stands still to
cough. I wish he would not cough so vio-
lently ; he has a nasty little hacking cough,
I observe, at all times, and now this pierc-
ing easterly wind has irritated his throat."
Miss Beaumorice having blanched her
almonds proceeded to split them, and then
stick them all over the surface of a sponge
cake, soaked in wine, like the quills of a
hedge-hog.
" There !" she thought, " when the cus-
tard is poured in, that will make a pretty
Httle centre-dish ; I will have some Nor-
mandy pippins, and a mould of Oswego at
€2 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
the sides, and a few sandwiches. There
will be eight of us — quite as many as T
shall like to have."
Then it suddenly occurred to her that it
was Twelfth-night, and that she would have
a Twelfth-cake of modest dimensions on the
tea-table.
" Because I cannot afford a large one,"
thought she, " is no reason why I should not
have a small one. I like keeping up old
customs, and very likely we shall be as merry
as many a party with a five-guinea cake."
And she thought with pleasure of the
Twelfth-night parties of her childhood and
youth. Leaving the store-room she gave a
parting glance through the window, and
observed Hodge standing idly leaning
against the leaping pole (which was a
clothes prop), in a pensive attitude, as a
knight might lean on his lance ; but Alured
had disappeared. She remembered hearing
the garden door slam, and concluded he had
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 63
come in. Going into the parlour she saw
him lying on the sofa.
" IVe done it once too often," said he,
piteously, as he looked at her without
rising. " Look here," and he held towards
her his handkerchief.
" Oh, my dear Alured, have you broken
^ blood vessel ? I must send at once for
Mr. Finch "
" Yes, I tliink you'd better ; but don't
frighten yourself," said he, in a subdued
voice, as she darted out of the room. He
himself looked frightened enough ; and
every minute of her absence seemed Hke ten.
*' Eat this," said she, coming back almost
directly to him, with a sliced lemon, sHghtly
sweetened with sifted sugar.
" Oh, I can t touch anything."
" But indeed this will do you good ; it is
a styptic, and I have no other in the house.
Do take it, my dear Alured " and she
put her hand on his shoulder.
64 TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
He did so reluctantly.
" This is a bad job," said he, making an
effort to smile. '^ I can't think how I could
be so foolish. I had done the same thing
hundreds of times without hurting my-
self."
" I think you had better not talk much
till Mr. Finch sees you. He will soon be
here — Jessy ran off directly."
They sat a few minutes in perfect silence.
" If anything should happen," said he,
presently, " you'll tell my father "
" Oh yes, of course ; but you need not
think over all the most dismal things in the
world. You will get over this in a little
while, I dare say, only you will have to be
prudent, and not do those violent exercises,
or go out in cold winds "
" I may as well shut up shop, then, at
once " He tried to say it jocularly, but
his eyes filled with tears. So did hers,
though she put a brave face on it.
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 65
" Pooh, pooh," said she, " you will never
do for a soldier if you lose heart "
" Lose heart. Miss Beaumorice ? Why,
very likely the doctors won t pass me !"
And his tears ivould burst forth — his
frame shook with suppressed sobs.
" Alured, Alured ; you really must not !
You will bring on your cough again, my
dear boy ; and then who can tell the con-
sequence V
She was right ; he did bring on his
cough again, and she stood by him trem-
bling, and offering him water.
" There, there, now lie down and keep
quite quiet till Mr. Finch comes. Keep
your mind easy, think of something else,
if you can ; think of something plea-
sant."
Knowing it next to impossible he could
follow her advice, and nearly at her wit's
end, she sat down beside him, held one of
his cold hands in both hers, looked at him
VOL. I. 5
66 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
wich the utmost compassion, and presently
in the gentlest manner, repeated, —
Let not thy heart despond and say,
' How shall I meet the trying day V
He hath ordained by sure decree
That as thy day thy strength shall be.
" Oh that it may be so 1" exclaimed he,
squeezing her hand, but without opening
his eyes.
At this unpropitious moment the visitor's
bell rang, and Miss Beaumorice, hearing a
female voice instead of Mr. Finch's, released
Alured's hand, saying, —
"Never mind — nobody shall come in
here "
And went out into the little hall, closing
the door after her. The visitor was Miss
Partridge, who came to return the
Aihenceum; and Miss Beaumorice draw-
ing her into the other sitting-room, told
her what had happened, adding that she
THE LAJDT OF LIMITED INCOME. 67
had sent for Mr. Finch, and was moment-
arily expecting him.
" Mr. Finch I why, he is gone on his
morning round ! I saw him go by half an
hour ago," said Miss Partridge. " He will
probably not return till one o'clock." Then,
noticing IVIiss Beaumorice's distressed look,
" The best thing Mr. Ward can take," said
she, " is twenty drops of diluted sulphuiic
acid in a wine-glassful of water, and, if you
will allow me, I will go and get it for him.
I have often given it to my mother."
Miss Beaumorice gratefully accepted the
offer, and Miss Partridge hastened away,
full of real interest for the patient, and
pleased to be of service. i\Iiss Beaumorice
meanwhile returned to him.
" The visitor was a very kind lady," said
she, " who told me she had seen Mr. Finch
start on his morning round, so that he is
not likely to be here just yet ; but she has
suggested a very efficacious, and not at all
5—2
68 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
disagreeable remedy, and has gone to fetch
it ; so I hope you will not hurt her by
objecting to try it. It only tastes like
lemonade."
"Oh, then it can't be very bad," said
Alured; adding, with emphasis, "Women
are capital creatures. You never fail us at
a pinch."
Miss Beaumorice's heart swelled. She
again pressed his hand, and then a pause
ensued, till Miss Partridge came back with
the sulphuric acid, ready dropped into
water. She administered it to him her-
self, and spoke so calmly and cheeringly,
that Miss Beaumorice felt she had a great
ally in her.
" I shall not stay now," said Miss Part-
ridge, after remaining a few minutes, " but
I will call by-and-by to hear Mr. Finch's
report ; and if there is any way in which
I can be serviceable, by sitting with you,
reading to you, or, in short, any way of being
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 69
useful, you may command me. Don't say
a word, pray — there's no need. We all
understand one another."
What a pleasant feeling exists, even in
oiu- heaviest hours, when that is the case !
Alured, suddenly laid low in the midst of
his superabundant activity, and with his
dearest hopes at stake, was sensible of a
sweetness in the consoling words and good
offices of these kind-hearted women, whom
he had never even seen two days ago,
that his gay unthinking hours had never
known.
'' It will not be so very bad, after all, to
be laid up in dry dock this cold weather,"
said he, '' if it does not put you to great in-
convenience."
'' Do not think of it. I shall be most
glad to do anything I can for you. As you
say, a short confinement will be no such
very great grievance, and I dare say you
will soon be about again."
70 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME,
" Ah, but suppose I should not ! — " and
he looked at her wistfully.
" It is all in God's hands/' she replied,
"and you would not wish it otherwise,
would you ?"
" N— o— "
" He can lay us low ; and He can raise
us up again. He knows what is best for
us ; what little checks — sometimes great
ones — we occasionally need. If we take
the little checks sweetly, it may be that
He will remit greater ones ; because He
sees that the lesser have sufficed to work
the very good He designed."
" Then, if I bear this little casualty
rightly," said Alured, anxiously, " perhaps
I may get well and pass, after all."
" You may," said she, gravely. "We won't
call it a casualty. It has been the result of
the too violent exercise you used, being un-
aware of the danger you ran. And God
may permit it to lead to some good end."
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 71
He lay quietly thinking, till Mr. Finch
arrived, sooner than Miss Beaumorice had
expected. Mr. Finch quite approved of
Miss Partridge's practice : after due in-
vestigations and inquiries, he thought the
case sufficiently serious for Mr. Ward to
remain recumbent for the present, subject
to medical treatment, and restricted to
almost silence and very low diet.
So here was Miss Beaumorice booked for
an indoor patient for an indefinite time to
come ! She was unfeignedly grieved that
the accident had occurred in consequence of
Alured's visit to her ; but, since he was to
be ill, she rejoiced that it should be under
the eye of his mother's friend, rather than
that the poor lad should be lying, lonely
and uncheered, in solitary lodgings.
As for Alured himself, Mr. Finch had
made him clearly comprehend the necessity
of his implicit submission to treatment.
He accepted his painful position ; and,
72 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
directly he had done so, began to reap his
reward in the peace of mind that ensued.
Thenceforth there could not be a better
patient ; he lay hour after hour on the sofa
without complaining of tedium, or crept
from one room to another with the dehbera-
tion of an old man ; never voluntarily
giving the least trouble, and winning the
affection of every one who came near him
by his patience and sweet temper.
CHAPTEE y.
MISS BEAUMORICES TWELFTH NIGHT.
" In the stilly night,
Ere slumber's chain hath bound me,
Eond memory brings the light
Of other days around me."
ISS PAETEIDGE came to tea,
and played chess with Alured
all the evening, sitting on a low
stool, and placing the chess-board between
them on a music-stool ; and thus quietly-
passed Twelfth Night, which was to have
witnessed such festivity. There was no-
body to taste the hedgehog-cake but Miss
Beaumorice and Miss Partridge, for Alured
was restricted to lemonade and a biscuit ;
74 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
but he bore it very well, and thanked them
for contriving him a happy evening. He
had only spoken monosyllables, and in
whispers, for he was thoroughly frightened
at his condition, and had substantial rea-
sons for wishing not to retard his recovery ;
but Miss Partridge from time to time had
quietly told little anecdotes about her
father, who had served in India and died in
the Crimea, and some of them were humor-
ous, and others interesting, in a professional
way, to one who desired to be a soldier.
As for Miss Partridge herself, her age
was thirty-four ; and as her hair, of a sandy
tint, was rather thin, and she had light
eyes and eyelashes, she could not be called
pretty, though she had pretty hands. But
her voice was in some degree a compensa-
tion for her looks, for it was unusually
sweet and expressive, both in speaking,
reading, and singiDg. She was not only
an accomplished musician, but well up in
THE LADY OF LIMITED IXC ME. 75
Mstory and all the ologies ; versed in
modem languages, and farther advanced
than Alured in Euclid. Happily he only
■discovered her attainments by degrees, or
he would have been quite afraid of
her.
Miss Beaumorice was thirteen years older
than Miss Partridge, and very nice-looking ;
rather under the middle height, plump,
clear brown, with a good colour, hazel eyes,
and black hair ; and pretty httle, fat, dim-
pled, white hands. Counting her, as of
course he did, for an old lady, Alured
thought her much favoured by nature.
'' I suppose," said Alured, while waiting
for Miss Partridge's next move, " I must
write and tell my governor about this ?"
" Let us wait a day or two," suggested
Miss Beaumorice.
" Yes, — so best," said he, with a relieved
air. " He'll be having me over there if he
thinks I'm shelved."
76 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
" Does your father live abroad ?" inquired
Miss Partridge.
*' Yes ; in a worm-eaten old castle, witli
thirty-six bedrooms."
" O dear f exclaimed Miss Partridge.
" You must not talk, Alured," said Miss
Beaumorice, gently.
" No, I know I mustn't. Can t you read
us something '"
" What, while you are playing chess ?"
" IVe mated Miss Partridge again, and I
would not be so rude a third time."
'^Oh, do read. Miss Beaumorice," said
Miss Partridge, taking out her crochet.
'' Well, what shall it be T
" Shakspeare's Twelfth Night, since this
is Twelfth Night," said Alured.
" Well, I will just read a little bit, here
and there."
So she began with, " Save thee, friend,
and thy music. Dost thou live by thy
tabor ?" " No, sir, I live by the church :"
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 77
but then turned back to the famous dialogue
between the duke and Viola, and therewith
ended her reading.
When she thought over the day's events
on her pillow, she could not help marvelling,
or admiring, as the old phrase goes, at the
varied human interests already intertwined
with hers, thus early in the year, that
threatened to be so lifeless and dull. She
thought of her early life, and of Alured's
father, Waldegrave Ward, as he used to be
oalled. Waldegrave Ward had been a
frequent guest at her father's table when
Dr. Beaumorice was a thriving physician in
full practice, and Waldegrave had hardly
any. Waldegrave Ward had been a fine,
personable young man, not thinking too
little of himself, and thought a good deal
of by some others — Miss Beaumorice among
the rest. He detected and fostered her
liking till it grew into love ; and was on the
brink of proposing to her, when, very for-
78 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
tunately, as he would have told you, Louisa
Davison with £10,000 to her tocher, ap-
peared on the scene, and his feelings ex-
perienced a revulsion, and he was very glad
that he had not committed himself, or
troubled Miss Beaumorice's peace. He licid
troubled it, but she did not show it, and
had at least the consolation, a great one, of
believing her secret unknown. And she
thoroughly approved his choice, though she
did not, in her heart, find him guiltless of
going too far with her, in all seriousness,
before his affections changed their object.
Louisa was a very sweet creature,
worthy of love, and destined to an early
grave. But long before her untimely death
took place. Miss Beaumorice's heart had
been taught its lesson ; nor did it ever
throb at the chance of being once more
wooed, and perhaps won. That pleasant
dream had gone by ; the painful lesson had
been learnt, and learnt so well that it had
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 79
ceased to be painful. In process of time
she could look back on it almost as on the
experience of another person ; but with
distinct remembrance of the old heart-
swellings and fruitless tears. Yet no, not
fruitless ; such experiences we may suppose
are never wasted on the soil of an honest
and good heart. And now she had been
reading to Waldegrave's son those words
that can never cease to be beautiful and
touching, —
" Viola. Aye, but I know,
Duke. YTkdit dost thou know ?
Viola. Too well what love women to men may owe.
My father had a daughter loved a man
As it might be, perhaps, were I a woman,
I should your lordship.
Duke. And what's her history ?
Viola. A blank, my lord."
But instead of sitting like patience on a
monument, how much more wisely had
Miss Beaumorice bestirred herself till she
could be a genial, profitable woman, really
80 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
able to smile at grief, except in the case of
others, or coming to her in the guise of
domestic bereavements.
As for Dr. Waldegrave Ward, who did
not make that way in his profession which
fond friends had augured, he took occasion
on his wife's death to go to a German
watering - place to recover his spirits ;
where, by good fortune, he was instru-
mental in saving the very indifferently
spent life of a petty sovereign prince — a
duke, or elector of Hohen Bogen — or some
such name — who, prizing it at his own
value, thought he could not reward his
preserver too highly, or do better for his
own safety than by securing him perma-
nently as his physician extraordinary.
Thenceforth Dr. Waldegrave Ward basked
in the sunshine of court favour, and by no
means ill-deserved it.
Had Miss Beaumorice indulged any fond
hopes of his endeavouring to renew his old
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 81
ascendancy over her, those hopes would
have been disappointed; for about eighteen
months after Louisa's death, he married a
German countess of considerable landed
property, and possessor of the old castle,
with thirty-six bedrooms, of which Alured
had spoken. The countess became the
mother of half-a-dozen children, much
younger, of course, than Alured, and
viewed by him with no favourable eye.
According to his report of them, Hermann,
Ernst, Adolf, Gertrude, Lenore, and Con-
rad, were —
" Children rude as bears,
Always tumbling down the stairs,"
or falling out of windows. He wished his
father would have a governess for them.
He himself had fortunately been sent to
a good English school, and spent his holi-
days alternately in Germany, and with his
maternal relations. It seemed curious
VOL. I. 6
82 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
that he should not be with them now —
that his father, after so many years of
seeming oblivion, should have sent him to
Miss Beaumorice. She was touched and
pleased at the tardy remembrance.
When Mr. Finch came the next morn-
ing, he brought his stethoscope. The
result of his examination was satisfactory ;
he did not think Alured's lungs seriously
affected, and believed that with care he
might recover, and be as well as ever.
" But mind I say, ' with care,' " repeated
he. *' If you don't take care, but, neglect-
ing this cough, go standing about in this
piercing east wind, or trying your chest
with all manner of unfair exercises — it
may be wonderful training, but you'll soon
be in your coflSn !"
" Where I've no wish to be, sir, thank
you," said Alured, " so I'll take your good
advice. You think, then, I'd better not
return immediately to my quarters ?"
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 83
'^ Certainly not at present."
" Then I must write to my old tutor and
tell him not to expect me."
" There's no harm, you know, in your
carrying on your studies here, on the sofa.
They will help to amuse you."
Alured made a face.
" You have robbed my captivity of its
greatest solace — idhng, and being petted
by the ladies !"
" Why, I thought you were preparing for
a pass examination ?"
" So I am, sir."
" Why, then I should say the best thing
is to prepao^e."
Afterwards, when Miss Partridge called
and heard his dismal account of things, she
laughed, and said, —
" I dare say I could simplify matters for
you. Tell me what you have to prepare."
When he had told her, she made Hght of
it, and said, —
6—2
84 TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
'' Why, I could stand such an examina-
tion as that. In fact, I prepared my
younger brother for his, and, if you like,
ril do as much for you."
" Oh do, for goodness' sake !" exclaimed
he, brightening.
So, to it they went ; for she declared
this amateur governessing was no fatigue
to her at all ; it was far greater relaxation
and amusement than inaction. And, what-
ever her secret might be, her success was
extraordinary ; she got Alured through his
difficulties at railroad pace. And the best
of it was, she made him really like work,
now that he saw his way through it, and
made him ashamed of aiming to shirk any
of it — " so unworthy the spirit of an En-
glishman," she said. Half she taught him
was viva voce — she talked to him, made
him explain himself, shewed him how shal-
low his reasonings were, pointed out his in-
accuracies and in elegancies with such drol-
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 85
lery that she made him laugh at himself.
Also she read to him a good deal ; and Miss
Beaumorice enjoyed it too, without binding
herself to hear all of it.
"I think," said Miss Partridge, 'Hhis
is very pleasant mental exercise, by way
of change. I shall be sorry to go back to
Lady Fanny and Lady Mary."
" I'm sure I shall be sorry when you do,"
said Alured. '* Don't you remember," con-
tinued he, gratefully addressing Miss Beau-
morice, '' your saying to me, that day, when
I was in such a horrid fright about the
doctors not passing me, that perhaps some
good would come out of it that we did not
see ? Well, some good has come out of it :
good that I consider well purchased at the
price of this illness."
The price of this illness — who was going
to pay the doctor's bill? The lady of
Limited Income ? Probably he would send
it in, immediately after his farewell visit ;
86 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
but if he did not — Well, it could not be a
very heavy one.
This state of things lasted nearly three
weeks. Miss Partridge's holiday had then
expired, and she returned to London.
Alured was now pronounced convalescent,
and Mr. Finch took leave of him, giving
sundry monitions to which Alured promised
to attend. Soon afterwards a little note
was brought to him.
" Oh, his account,'' said Alured, after
opening it. "What a good thing he
thought of it, for / didn't ! A jolly good
figure, too."
" Well now," said Miss Beaumorice, to
whom he held it out, '' I call it moderate.
We are very glad to have doctors when we
are in pain or in danger ; we should not be
ungrateful to them directly we get well."
" No, but — do you know. Miss Beaumo-
rice, I have not quite so much money as
this down here, and I must have a little to
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 87
carry me home. Shall I write to my tutor
about it, or will you lend it to me ? I'U
tell him when I get back."
'' I'll lend it you, and you can remit it to
me in half notes, in two following posts."
" Thank you ! I will, then. I'll be sure
not to forget. Out of debt, out of danger ;
and now that I'm out of danger, I don't
want to go away in Mr. Doctor's debt. I'll
be sure to remember my debt to youJ^
That's as hereafter may happen.
CHAPTER VL
IMPECUNIOSITY.
" When will you pay me 1
Said the bells of the Old Bailey."
ISS BEAUMOEICE indulged
Alured with a little party before
lie went away, and even invited
the young ladies who wore the pork-pie
hats. She hoped he would prefer the
milder attractions of the Miss Nunehams,
but he declared he liked the Miss Gamblers
very much.
When he was gone, how empty the house
seemed ! She had begged him to write to
her from time to time, and he did so di-
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 89
rectly he reached Woolwich, but only to
tell her of his safe arrival, and to thank her
warmly for her kindness. No money en-
closed ; she thought it w^ould come the
next day. But it did not, nor for many a
day after that. She thought it a pity
young people should be so negligent of
petty duties ; and remembered a saying of
Miss Edgeworth's, that relations would
oftener continue friends, if in matters of
business they were as methodical as stran-
gers.
Now then, must begin that rigid system
of economy on geometrical principles which
was to cover that horrid deficiency. Not a
step had yet been taken towards it, except
leaving off sugar ; should she leave off pud-
dings ? Reckon a little pudding at eight-
pence or ninepence, it hardly seemed worth
while to strike it off the domestic bill of
fare, and then more meat would be eaten.
Would more meat be eaten? Does any-
90 TEE LABY OF LIMITED INCOME,
body eat less meat because he intends ta
have pudding? These sordid questions
were considered once and again.
Coals. She could discontinue her bed-
room fire, now that the cold was not quite
so severe ; only, if she caught cold thereby,
she might lay herself up, and be obliged to
have Mr. Finch. There were little bills
coming in too, as little bills will come in
after Christmas, even in the best regulated
families. Her stock of wine and ale was
getting low, but as she seldom tasted
either herself, and was not in immediate
expectation of visitors, that could stand
over.
Enter Jessy. "Please, ma'am, do you
want the piano tuned ?"
" No," said Miss Beaumorice with deci-
sion, though she knew it was too flat ; so
the old tuner lost his five shillings.
"That tiresome boy has not brought the
Times yet."
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 91
This was a continual grievance, and Miss
Beaumorice had more than once told him
that if he persisted in bringing it too late
to suit her convenience, she would discon-
tinue taking it in. So here was a good
opportunity of putting her threat in execu-
tion. It was true she desked to see the
daily list of " hatches, matches, and des-
patches," and the foreign intelligence, and
the state of the nation, and what the
Queen was doing, and what new books
were coming out, and a good many things
besides ; but it consumed a great deal of
time, and, on the whole, her time might
perhaps be better employed. So she
would tell the boy not to bring the paper
any more, and if she found she missed it
very much, she would borrow it of some
friend.
Again the post came in without a letter
from Alured. She began to fear he had
had a relapse, and was too ill to write ;
92 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
and under this impression, she wrote him a
few lines of kind inquiry.
Her maiden meditations were not fancy-
free this evening, by reason of a tall, lathy
young gentleman continually figuring in
them. She speculated much on his future ;
doubted if it would be a brilliant one ; at
length, took up a book — not a story-book
(which, however, is sometimes a panacea
for worry), but one of those that counsel
and comfort, from which one can take, as it
were, a lozenge to suck, and then shut it
up again. She opened on this homely
passage, —
" There are few things for which I have
more reason to thank my Saviour, than for
the power He has given me of combining
high thoughts with humble doings. This
power to unite noble and devotional con-
templations with constant attention to the
numerous cares and toils and trifles and
nursings of my little family, is a great de-
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 93
light to me. It unites into harmony the
extremes of existence — the intellectual and
the sensible, the lofty and the mean, the
cares of the present and the prospects of
the eternal. The things themselves are
very remote ; strong exercises of the intel-
lect and the habitual contemplation of
heaven, and a minute regard to bread and
tea, firing and candles. Yet no reason can
be given why a person should not try to be
a tender and diligent nurse, a prudent and
frugal housekeeper, and all the time an in-
tellectual and elevated Christian."
This was Miss Beaumorice's mental
lozenge, and it quite allayed the httle
irritation.
Happening to say, next day, to her
neighbour Mrs. Hyde, '^How dear coals
are now !" Mrs. Hyde replied, " Do you
burn Inland or Wallsend ?"
"Oh, Wallsend," said Miss Beaumorice
with decision. " I always find the best
94 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
tilings answer best. Wallsend, at twenty-
nine shillings, now, a ton."
" Well, I got dissatisfied with my Walls-
end coals," said Mrs. Hyde. " Actually
with the coals, not the price ; so I went
and complained of them to Blackstone, and
asked if he had no other sort. He raised
his eyebrows, and said in a slighting sort
of way, 'Oh, we've the Inland, of course.'
'Very well,' I said, '111 try the Inland.'
And I find they burn better, and are four
shillings a ton cheaper."
" That is a valuable piece of informa-
tion," said Miss Beaumorice. " Do they
burn bright ?"
"Yes."
" Perhaps they burn faster ?"
'' No."
" Well, I will try them at any rate."
Which she did ; and liked them well
enough to continue them.
Meanwhile, the morning post brought
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 95
two letters. The first, in a dainty little
tight-packed envelope, directed by Mary
Beaufort. " That will keep," thought she,
as her eye caught Alured's rather scrawly
superscription on the larger letter. She
hastily opened it, and read as follows :
" Woolwich, February 17.
"My dear Miss Beaijmorice, —
'^ You will have seen the poor coun-
tess's death in the Times. (No, I have
not ! — that comes from discontinuing it !)
It was not inserted till I came back, so it
only appeared yesterday ; you must have
thought it strange I did not send you the
note which I now enclose, but you know I
have not the best of heads, and the day
after my first letter to you, my ideas were
completely scattered by a hasty summons
to Schloss Glitenfeld on account of my
step-mother's death. Id alia wrote the
note — by-the-bye, you don't know who the
96 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
Countess Idalia is ; she is a very nice girl^
orphan niece of my step-mother, Countess-
Verena, and brought up at the castle.
Countess Yerena was her guardian, but
papa — my father, is so now. She (Idaha
I mean) got papa's consent for her to write
to me since he would not, because he had
nobody to be with him and comfort him,
and she did not know how to ; so of course
I bundled my traps together, told my
tutor how the case stood, and started
off. There had been lying in state and so
forth, but the funeral was over before I got
there, which I was glad of — on my own
account, you know, but of course I was
sorry not to be there to support my father.
It's a sad loss. She had been as well as
could be, up to that very day, and at sup-
per-time got the core of an apple into her
wind-pipe, and choked in spite of all they
could do to save her. Was not it shock-
ing ? It was the least little mite of core
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 97
you can conceive, my father showed it me ;
he got it out afterwards, but it was then
too late ; Hfe quite extinct. He felt it
very much, of course, and I really did not
know what in the world to do. I had not
a word to say ; could not think of a conso-
lation to offer ; we sat and smoked and said
very little. Had you or Miss Partridge'
been there, you would have known exactly
what was proper. I think he liked hear-
ing me tell about my visit to you as much
as anything. He told me to write to you
the first thing when I got back (which I
am doing) and enclose you the money. I
can't think how he'll get along without the
countess ; she was a very managing wo-
man. And yet, somehow, she never man-
aged the children ; I am sure she could
have done so if she would (being such a
manager you know), but now they'll be
worse than ever. Idalia and I used to talk
VOL. I. 7
98 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
about it as we sat on the battlements, look-
ing over tlie Rhine. I advised her to try
her hand at it, but she would not. She
said she should not have time for one
thing ; for she did not suppose she would
remain at the Schloss now. She's too old,
rather, for school ; and my father wishes
she were a Catholic, because then he would
put her in a convent ; but she is a Luthe-
ran, which I am glad of Papa says the
Romish religion is a comfortable one for
some things ; you can have masses for the
dead, and so forth ; only, if the dead are
none the better for them, where's the
good ? only money wasted, / think. You
must not think my father likely to be a
pervert ; he only dropped the idea. We
talked it over in a quiet way, that really
we need not distress ourselves about the
poor countess, for she had done nothing
very wrong that we ever heard of, only
THE LADY OF LUIITEB INCOME. 99
was rather imperative sometimes ; and she
might have been more so with advantage
as far as the children were concerned.
Only think, on the very day of the funeral,
Adolf must go and pitch himself headlong
down the lower dungeon stairs ! He'll
make away with himself some day dowTi
the oubliette, I expect, a sheer fall of a
hundred and fifty feet into the Rhine. I
advised my father to send them all to a
good boarding school, but he says he is too
fond of them ; he must have time to think
about it. Poor man, I did not at all like
leaving him ; the Schloss is so dismal now.
Idalia said it would be dreadful when I
was gone. I must now make up for lost
time and get into training again. Oh, by-
the-bye, I nearly forgot to inclose you a
few lines from papa. He is very grateful
to you for your kindness to me, and I'm
sure so am I ; and to MLss Partridge
7—2
100 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
too. Please remember me to her very
kindly.
" Believe me,
" My dear Miss Beaumorice,
*' Very faithfully and
" Affectionately yours,
''Arthur Alured Ward."
A note to her from Waldegrave Ward ?
Miss Beaumorice's hands trembled a little
as she opened it, with a strange rush of old
remembrances. His handwriting was a
good deal altered; it was now somewhat
foreign and flourishing. He said —
" My dear Miss Beaumorice, —
"It is under painful circumstances
that I write. You will have learnt from
Alured and the papers my sad loss. I am
completely unhinged at present, but cannot
let my boy return to good old England
without a line of heartfelt thanks to you,
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 101
my early and valued friend, for your
motherly care of him during his late stay
with you. Entre nous, the less said cf his
little accident to others the better. His
lungs are quite sound, and I believe it to
have been merely a little effusion from the
head. I have told him to make no allu-
sion to it at Woolwich ; and as he may be
a little contrary on this point, having some
very young ideas, I shall be obliged by
your adding your powerful mfluence to
mine. And now adieu ; have you ever
thought, do you ever think of your old
friend on the banks of the Rhine ? Our
paths have been allotted to us in very
different directions. Homme propose, del
dispose ! Tis all for the best. Once more
adieu.
" Faithfully and gratefully yours,
"Edgar Waldegrave Ward."
Faithfully hers ? That was just what he
102 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
had not been ! Homme propose ? If the
man had proposed, their paths would not
have taken such different directions. As
Miss Beaumorice ended the letter, and sat
idly looking at it, she was conscious of a
great chill at her heart. Here were kind,
friendly expressions, too ; but somehow she
felt that Dr. Waldegrave Ward had either
never been what she thought him, or had
very much gone off. Altogether this letter
was a poor affair ; there was no real heart
in it. Either he did not feel much, or he
was a bad hand at expressing feeling. Per-
haps he did not mean to express any ; per-
haps he thought it unsuitable to express
any to her. It might justly be so ; but
she was rather sorry he had written at all.
She did not want thanks ; and she was
hurt at the dissimulation he proposed for
Alured, and wished her to enforce. She
would do no such thing ; if she influenced
him at all, it would be the other way.
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 103
And fired with the idea that it was her
duty to keep the lad true and honest, she
at once wrote him an affectionate, sympa-
thetic note, inquiring about his health, cau-
tioning him anew against violent training,
and telHng him how even prize-fighters in-
jured their general health by it, while
strengthening their muscular system. She
added, " I am sure I hope with all my
heart that you may pass ; but of course you
will not conceal from the medical examiners
what happened here ; it would be incon-
sistent with your probity to do so."
It was not till she had finished this note,
that Miss Beaumorice gave herself time to
read the second letter.
"A pennyworth of chat and plenty for
the money," thought she, carelessly, as she
opened it. She knew pretty well that Mary's
pennyworths of chat were usually amusing
enough, but not of that absorbing interest
to interfere with real business ; and just
104 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
now, when her head was full of that old
castle on the Khine, with the solitary
widower pacing its innumerable rooms, and
the young man and beautiful girl hanging
over the battlements, Enghsh chat seemed
rather tame in comparison.
However, Mary's letter proved to have
something more serious in it than usual.
She wrote : —
" You have little suspected, dearest Miss
Beaumorice, that the long silence of your
young friend has been occasioned by an
event, or chain of events, that will affect
her whole life. I am engaged to be mar-
ried ! I give you ten, I give you twelve
guesses, but you will never guess aright !
What do you think of my becoming a
neighbour of yours ? Longfield and Lambs-
croft are not so far apart as to forbid my
being in that relation to you, are they ?
Oh, I am very happy ! I always said I
TEE LADY OF. LIMITED IXCOME. 105
should like to be a clergyman's wife, and
now my wish will be accomplished, for Mr.
Brooke is appointed to the curacy of Long-
field ; and I do hope, dear friend, that
during the pleasant summer evenings you
will often come over to us. Mamma says it
will be so nice for me, your being so near
us ; she knows that in my little difficulties
you will let me apply to you.
" What a strange change it seems !
A completely different hue is thrown over
everything. I had not the least idea he
cared so much for me till a very Httle while
ago. It has been all since Christmas.
Have you ever seen him, or heard anything
of him, in your part of the world ? I think
you will say he is nice-looking, and very
gentlemanlike ; his tastes are very refined.
I hope his preaching will be hked ; his
views will quite suit you, I think. We
have not had leisure to enter much on these
subjects, yet, of course. You will think I
106 TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
can only write on one theme at present, but
I hardly know how to change it. You will
see me before the horse-chestnuts are out of
bloom, for it is to come off very soon. The
curacy is not much, but we think there's no
good waiting. I am of age, you know ; so
papa has consented. I have worlds of
things to attend to ; so excuse my adding
more now, dear Miss Beaumorice, than
mamma's and Margaret's love. Your ever
affectionate
''Mary Beaufort."
Miss Beaumorice, though surprised, was
much pleased to hear of the engagement.
Mary was the only child of Mr. Beaufort's
first wife, who had been her early friend ;
she had never been very intimate with his
second. Marriage had always been the
goal to which Mary's views had been
directed since she left school. Had she
missed it, her family would have been dis-
appointed, and she herself perhaps soured.
TEE LADY OF LUHTEB INC02IE. 107
She hardly seemed much wanted at home,
where a second family had sprung up to fill
the first place in Mrs. Beaufort's afiection.
It was well for her, then, that she should
have the prospect of a union with a right-
minded young clergyman ; for such Miss
Beaumorice assumed him to be, though he
was unknown to her even by report. She
wrote warmly to Mary, who soon foimd
time to write to her again, expressing a
hope to see her soon in London. She pro-
ceeded to say, —
** John has secured a house at Longfield,
the same that the last curate had, with all
the planned furniture, which will save us
much trouble. So now the prime object is to
secure two nice servants ; and I want you,
dear Miss Beaumorice, to find me a couple
of promising ones that don't require teach-
ing. Let them be nice-looking, please, and
girls that know their place and know their
work."
CHAPTEE VII.
A BRIDE ELECT.
" How is it that masters, and science and art,
One grain of intelligence fail to impart,
Unless in that magical compound combined
Philosophers join in defining as mind ?"
Jane Taylor.
HEN Miss Beaumorice went up
to receive her dividends, she
called on an old uncle in the
City, who was generally too busy to see her
more than for a few minutes ; and then pro-
ceeded north-westwards to call upon Mary,
whom she had forewarned to expect her.
Mary was out, however, but had left word
that she would soon return, and that she
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 101>
hoped Miss Beaumorice would rest in
her boudoir, and amuse herself with a
book.
The boudoir was of tiny dimensions, ad-
joining Mary's bedroom ; and both of them
were littered with finery and nicknacks.
Even money lay loose on the table, as well
as opened notes.
" How can Mar}' put such temptations
in the way of servants V thought Miss
Beaumorice, "unless, indeed, hers are as
honest and honourable as mine. My girls
would no more think of readino' a letter
that did not belong to them than of
taking money that was not theirs ; but
London servants are not always as reli-
able."
She looked around for a book, and took
up one after another, but found them
wholly unreadable. She put down volume
after volume with distaste, then took up
some of them again to see what food for
no THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
the mind Mary liked, but closed them with
strong aversion after a few dips here and
there.
" Are these the books young people read
now T thought she. '' What false pictures
of life are here ! — what bad taste and care-
less writing ! But I suppose readers have
become indifferent to these faults as long as
they secure plenty of sensation. "Well, I
hope Mary will soon return."
Punctuality was not one of Mary's vir-
tues, and she unconcernedly left her old
friend to wait for her while she let a shop-
man show her one pretty thing after
another that she had no intention of buy-
ing. When at length she returned home
and found Miss Beaumorice, her pretty face
smiled joyous welcome, and she kissed her
most affectionately. Her younger sister,
Margaret, accompanied her ; an honest-
looking, pleasant girl of sixteen, whom Miss
Beaumorice had not seen for some time,
THE LADY OF LUIITED INC021E. ill
and who in the interim had grown almost
out of knowledge.
Directly Mary had divested herself of her
walking dress, she launched into the full
tide of talk, and began showing Miss Beau-
morice the pretty things that lay about the
room.
'' How do you like this ? What do
you think of this ? Is it not pretty ?
Mamma chose this ; it is something quite
new."
" And how do you like this ?" said Mar-
garet, laughing and putting on a smart
bonnet.
'' Margaret, you must not touch that,"
said Mary, taking it from her without cere-
mony.
" But how do you like this ?" pursued
Margaret, more seriously, taking up a large
coarse straw hat with a simple blue ribbon,
which lay on the bed, curiously contrasting
with the gay millinery around it : " this is
112 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
what Mary is to use when she visits the
poor."
And she placed it on Mary's head, while
Mary looked quite aware of being very
pretty in it. Then putting it aside, she
took up a new dress, saying, ^^ The new
colour, you know. Do you think it suits
me ? I shall wear it to go away in — John
likes it. These handkerchiefs were ruinous,
but they are beautifully worked. Papa
said I ought not to have worked handker-
chiefs, but that was nonsense. I said,
' Papa dear, you had better give mamma a
good round sum, and let her and me arrange
how to lay it out.' Of course, a man could
know nothing, you know. Margaret, you
had better go away now — we shall soon
come down to lunch. This was sent by
aunt Jay. Frightful, is not it ? People
should take care not to be behind the age
when they give wedding presents. And I
shall have to thank her just as much as if
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 113
I liked it. This cKurch service, bound in
ivory, is from John's sister, Alicia Brooke.
Yery nice, though I have quite a new one
already."
Mary's head seemed fuller of her trous-
seau than of her lover.
" Well," said she, sitting down beside
Miss Beaumorice, " what about the maids ?
Have you found me two pieces of perfec-
tion T
" No, not even one. Two have offered,
but I doubt if they will suit you. One has
lived with an old lady named Cole, who is
always changing. The other with old Mrs.
Caryl."
" Both old," said Mary. " Their ways
very different, of course, from those of
young persons. Consequently their maids
can hardly have had the right sort of train-
ing. And training is precisely what I
don't mean to undertake. I couldn't if I
would, and I wouldn't if I could. Why
VOL. I. S
114 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
should I, when trained servants are to be
had r
" Just so ; only none happen to be dis-
engaged in my neighbourhood at pre-
sent."
" Oh, but how disappointing ! I so
entirely depended on you. Perhaps these
girls might do after all. Have you taken
their characters ?"
"No, I thought I would consult you
first."
" Oh, take their characters by all meaus,
please — perhaps they may do. Are they
pretty, not too pretty ?"
" They are neat and passably good-look-
ing."
" That sounds promising — so please just
ask if they know their work and know
their place."
" You mean "
** I mean, keep in their proper place —
keep their distance, show proper respect —
THE LADT OF LIMITED IXCOME. 115
don't answer again, and so on," said Mar^',
hastily.
The visitors' bell rang at this mo-
ment.
'' That's John's ring," said Mary ; " but
we won't go down yet. Mamma has
dressed by this time, and Margaret is
down if she is not. I want to show you
everything before lunch. I'll just put this
on : tell me how you like the effect. Do
you think it suits my style ?"
" Quite so ; but Longfield is not at all a
dressy place. My dear Mary, let us go
down ; my stay will be short, yon know ;
and Mr. Brooke will not like your keeping
him waiting."
" Oh, he's used to that," said Mary,
gaily. " I keep him in good order, I
assure you. I want to have quite a confi-
dential talk with you, now we are by our-
selves. Here we are, my dear friend,
about to try the problem of ' how to live
8—2
116 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
on three hundred a year/ How should
you solve it ?"
" A good many curates have to live on a
third of that sum."
''Oh, but I don't mean in that style,
you know. I don't mean to live like a
beggar ; and I m sure John does not."
'' I dare say you have heard the reply of
a young lady to whom the question was
proposed by her lover, — ' Oh, that will be
very easy, dear. There will be a hundred
for you, and a hundred for me, and of
course the housekeeping can't cost a hun-
dred.'"
Mary laughed slightly, and said, —
'' Of course that was nonsense. But
now I want to talk sense ; and I thought
you would be able to give me a hint or
two. It's a pity, one must confess, that
we shall not have four hundred a year
instead of three, because that would be
lust a hundred a quarter."
THE LADY OF LUIITED INCOME. 117
" A good many would prefer four to
three," said Miss Beamnorice, smiling.
"Yes; but seriously speaking, would
not it be much more comfortable ? One
could settle one's accounts so much better."
" Much better."
" Now how much, as a practical person,
do you really think I might make do for
housekeeping ?"
" Oh, that must depend on the modera-
tion of yoiu^ desires, and on your manage-
ment."
" Of course ; but how much ? just say."
Miss Beaumorice still held back.
"The house-rent is not my affair, but
everything else. Shall we say fifty T
" Oh, my dear Mary 1"
" Too httle, you think," said Mary, with
chagrin. "1 had thought I might keep
within it."
" I would not advise you to expect
it.
118 TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
"But what shall I do if I have no
more V said Mary, quickly. " Well, then,
suppose by way of argument I double it.
Say a hundred, or rather a hundred and
four pounds. That will be two pounds a
week. What say you now T
" I think," said Miss Beaumorice, hesi-
tating, "that you must be a good manager,
and study economy, and not mind little
privations."
" John will never like privations," said
Mary. "Not bread-and-cheese dinners,
nor even cold meat."
"You need not have cold meat unless
you like it. But the fact is, you will per-
haps spend less than two pounds one week,
and a good deal more the next."
" I mean to spend just the same every
week," said Mary; "and if there is any-
thing I cannot afford one week, I'll wait
for it till the next."
" Or till you can afford it — that will be
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 119
excellent/' said Miss Beaumorice. "I
only hope "
Here a bell down-stairs was rung
smartly.
" John is rather impatient/' said Mary.
*' Oh, do let us go down, my dear. I m
getting hungry."
" But that's not the luncheon bell. It
will ring presently."
"But I want to be introduced to Mr.
Brooke."
" Yes, yes, you shall ; but just look at
this pretty chain he gave me yesterday."
" What an ungrateful little puss you
are, to be trifling with him in this way !
Come, I really want to go down."
" We will, then," said Mary, — lingering,
however, to put her chain in a little case
which would not shut. At this instant
the house-door was noisily slammed, as if
to give general notice that somebody was
gone out.
120 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
" I do believe that's John !" cried Mary,
changing colour and running to the window.
" Yes, there he is, just turning the corner.
That's too bad."
*'You really have tried his patience,"
said Miss Beaumorice, who, however, was
rather dismayed at this way of '' showing
her he was the stronger."
" What right had he to be impatient ?"
said Mary, ready to cry. ^' I've no notion
of such airs. I shall scold him pretty
sharply when we next meet, I can tell
him."
" Oh no ! do not ! He had really some
reason to complain. It is a great pity.
Let us go down now."
'' Yes, we will," said Mary, who, in
spite of taking such a high tone, had been
a little frightened. The luncheon bell
rang loudly, and one of her schoolboy
brothers rattled at the door, crying, —
" You're to come down directly, Mary."
TEE LABY OF LIMITED I^COJIE. 121
" Coming, Mr. Saucebox/' said Mary,
linking her arm in Miss Beaumorice's, and
taking her down-stairs.
'' I am surprised," said Miss Beaumorice,
"that Mrs. Beaufort does not give you
some advice which would supersede the
necessity of mine."
" Oh, mamma is dreadfully unhelpful
and unsympathetic," said Mary. " She
says she Jaiows I shall get into trouble,
and that the scale on which we must keep
house will be so different from what she
had always been accustomed to, that she
has no advice to give that would be of the
least use. If I do get into trouble," added
she, almost crying, '* whose fault is it ?
Who has taught me V
As they entered the dining-room her
face underwent a sudden and really ludi-
crous change of expression, for there, with
the rest of the party, sat Mr. Brooke, a
good-looking young clergyman, in faultless
122 TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
attire of the latest clerical cut. She re-
covered from her surprise more immediately
than Miss Beauraorice could have thought
possible, giving him her hand with a smile
of welcome, though her heart was beating
fast.
" You did not expect to see me perhaps,"
said he, smiling.
'^ "Where have you been T said Mary.
" To post a letter for Mrs. Beaufort. I
knew I could save the post."
" Oh !"
''You are late, Mary," said Mrs. Beau-
fort.
" Oh, I was having such a nice chat
with Miss Beaumorice, mamma. We had
such an immensity to say to one an-
other."
" Not about any of the present company,
I suppose," said Mr. Brooke, laughing.
"About things of infinitely more mo-
ment."
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 123
'*Just as if that were possible/' said
Margaret, merrily.
*' Quite possible. We were not talking
of persons, but things."
" Excellent," said Mr. Brooke. '' I only
wish ladies would oftener do so."
'' And gentlemen too, I wish," said
Mary ; " do they never deal in personali-
ties r
'' Not as often as women ; and generally
about more important things."
*' That depends ; does it not, Miss Beau-
morice ? At any rate, we -were not deal-
ing in personalities — not talking of you,
sir."
" Oh, of course not. Well, Miss Beau-
morice, we are going to be rather near
neighbours of yours."
'' I Avish it would be more than rather
near," said Miss Beaumorice. '^ I find it a
long walk to Longfield, but I hope practice
will make it seem shorter."
124 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
" Oh, jes, indeed it must. Do you
know much of Longfield ?"
" Very little. I know Mrs. Garrow.
She is a very nice person."
*' Ah, we must make you like it. I like
it very much."
" Completely out of the world," said
Mrs. Beaufort.
'' Why, that is what newly married
people always like, mamma," said Mar-
garet. " They think it so romantic."
" The whole affair is romantic, I think,"
said Mrs. Beaufort. '^ People come by
experience to know the difference between
romance and reality."
" Ours is to be a life's romance, mamma,"
said Mary.
" Oh, well, it is to be something dif-
ferent from everything else, I suppose.
Have a little fricasseed chicken. Miss
Beaumorice."
" I should like one of those apples.
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 125
please," said Mary. Slie took one, and
began eating it like a schoolgirl, cm naturel.
Mr. Brooke winced.
" Have one too, John."
'' No, thank you," said he, rather
gravely.
'' You look as if my eating one were too
much for you. Does it set your teeth on
edge r
'' Almost."
" Nonsense ! What are you thinking
of?"
'' Oh, of a question in an old book, —
*Why did Eve eat the apple without
paring it V "
" Don Quixote," said Mary.
" You don't read Don Quixote, I
hope r
"Yes, I do," said Mary, hardily. " Not
the great edition, but a nice little Ameri-
can one."
'^ Oh/' — looking relieved.
126 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
Miss Beaumorice saw that he was sensitive
on more points than one, and hoped Mary
would not continually be heedlessly aggriev-
ing him. To hint so to her would not be
of the least use.
When she left her friends, she fell into
a train of thought that was by no means
cheerful.
" They all seem very willing to lose
Mary," thought she ; " and she seems
equally willing to leave them. How comes
it to pass, I wonder? She has hardly
known Mr. Brooke Ions: enous^h to feel
she is turning her twenty shillings into a
sovereign. Nor will she very readily sub-
mit, I fear, to a sovereign will not her own.
Ah, well, all will be for the best, I hope.
The attachment may be deeper than I can
imderstand."
Then she began rather wistfully to con-
sider what her wedding present to Mary
should be. She had received so many
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 127
pretty and even elegant gifts already, that
it wo-old be difficult to avoid choosing a
duplicate ; and many presents that she
treated very sHghtly, as hardly deserving
thanks, must yet have cost much more than
Miss Beaumorice could afford.
" It is of no good to compete with the rich
in money-worth," thought she. " What I
shall give will be merely in token of affec-
tion ; but yet I should wish it to be some-
thing she wants and would like to use.
Some of her presents are quite out of
character with the position in which she is
going to live ; but she did not seem to like
them the less for that. I fear I may be
getting a little behindhand in my ideas of
what is right and fitting, and that they
need brushing up. Perhaps the Baker
Street bazaar may enlighten me a little, and
supply me with some pretty and elegant
novelty within my means."
So she went there, and at first thought
128 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
tlie only difficulty would be to choose ; but
a great deal of cogitation ensued, and what
she most hovered over was a beautifully
painted French china inkstand, equally
suitable for drawing-room and dressing-
room. On this she finally decided ; and,
to diminish the. chances of breakage, ordered
it to be carefully packed and sent to Mary
on the spot, with a card bearing a few
pencilled lines. If her purse was thereby
considerably lightened, so was her mind ;
she did not at all object to abridging
her own little may -wants, and even must-
wants, as long as she was thereby enabled
to fulfil her obligations to those she
loved, and who might reasonably take um-
brage at seeming to be neglected or for-
gotten.
After this she called on two or three old
friends, and then made her way to the
railway station, and took her place in a
railway carriage that speedily conveyed her
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 129
within an easy distance of her country
home, the air feeling lighter and fresher
and sweeter every minute as she approached
it.
VOL. I.
CHAPTER VIII.
TWO OLD LADIES.
Look upon this presentiment, and on tliis."
Hamlet.
OST lovers of Crabbe will re-
member his description of the
" ancient maiden lady," not too
flatteringly portrayed, and the finished
Dutch painting of her surroundhigs : —
' Down by the churchway walk, and where the brook
Winds round the chancel like a shepherd's crook,
In that small house, with those green pales before,
Where jasmine trails on either side the door,
Where those dark shrubs, that now grow wild at will,
Were clipped in form and tantalized with skill.
Where cockles blanched, and pebbles neatly spread,
Formed shining borders for the larkspur's bed,
TEE LADY OF LI 211 TED INCOME. 131
There lived a lady, wise, austere, and nice,
Who by her virtue showed her scorn of vice."
Miss Beaumorice had sometimes idly won-
dered whether the prim mistress of the
abode answering to this description on the
outskirts of her village were wise, austere,
and nice — or only fidgety, punctilious, and
hard to please. She had seen her in the
little front garden, intently supervising
the gardener while he trimmed her pinks.
She had heard her rather sharp voice in-
doors rating her servant : she rather dis-
trusted appearances. However, for Mary's
sake, she was about to invade her dominions,
having previously sent a polite inquiry when
she might wait on Mrs. Cole.
The church clock struck the appointed
hour when Miss Beaumorice raised the
latch of the little gate and trod the neat
pebbled walk. The door was opened
almost the instant she rang the bell by a
servant girl with very red eyes. Mrs. Cole
9—2
132 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
stood on the very threshold of the parlour
door, so that Miss Beaumorice found herself
ushered in the next instant. The girl was
hastily stepping forward to place a chair,
but a look seemed to warn her off with
some precipitation; and Mrs. Cole then
invited her visitor to sit on a small couch
beside the fireplace, and in the farthest
corner from the door. She then seated her-
self very near her, and looked at her in-
quiringly.
" I have called," began Miss Beaumorice,
" to inquire into the — "
Here Mrs. Cole, with a telegraphic move-
ment more easDy imagined than described,
hastened noiselessly to the door, made sure
that no one was outside, closed it with
dexterity, and returned as if " shod with
felt."
" You ve no idea/' said she, in an excited
whisper ; " only the most constant vigilance
— you know the old saying, ' Walls have
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 133
ears/ especially where there is a key-
hole."
" Oh, but I should hope the keyholes are
seldom so used," said Miss Beaumorice,
trying to take lightly such an uncomfortable
beginning.
" Constantly, constantly," rephed Mrs.
Cole, still under her breath. " Never
know when I'm alone."
" That argues rather too much leisure, I
think," said Miss Beaumorice. ^'A well-
employed girl would hardly find time or
disposition for so idle a habit. There is
something so lowering in it, that I should
think none but a very trumpery girl would
ever be guilty of it."
" May I beg you to lower your voice ?
The party in question, ma'am, is truly a
very trumpery girl, but if I were to charge
her with the offence she would have me
up to the town hall for taking away her
character."
134 THE LADY OF LIMITED IXCOME.
" From what you say, it appears very
unlikely she would suit the friend for
whom I am inquiring ; and therefore it
will be unnecessary, I think, to trouble you
further. "
'' Oh, as to trouble, pray don't mention it.
I am happy to oblige you, but I do assure
you I think you may do better for your
friend."
" The young woman has not been long
with you, perhaps ?" said Miss Beaumorice,
unwilling to be so soon discomfited.
'■ Ten months — just ten months, — I really
cannot put up with her any longer."
'' Has she become better or worse, do you
think r
" Oh, ever so much worse. At first she
did try to please — and she did not take
nearly as many liberties ; but now I really
never have a moment's peace — obliged to
lock up everything."
" Ah," said Miss Beaumorice, " I think
TEE LADY OF LIMITED lyCOME. 135
I never could contend with a dishonest per-
son/'
" Oblige me by not naming the word,"
said Mrs. Cole, hastily. " Walls, as I said
just now, have ears ; only when things dis-
appear, you know, or diminish, we know
what it looks like."
"Certainly," said Miss Beaumorice.
" Well, it really makes one in trouble for
the unhappy girl's future."
" Oh, sixes not unhappy, I can tell you !
Sings at the top of her voice when she's at
her work (unless when she's in one of her
humours), and laughs and talks with any
one that comes in her way."
'' Well, I hope she will see it is to her
own interest, before long, to change her
ways."
'' She'll never mend, ma'am, never !" said
Mrs. Cole, with emphasis. " If she wasn't
an orphan and friendless she'd never have
been here so long, for she's dying for a
136 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
change, only she can't afford to throw her-
self out of house and home."
'' Of course not. Poor thing, one can't
help pitying her a little."
"I don't pity her a bit!" interposed Mrs.
Cole ; "it's I that am to be pitied."
" Yes, indeed. Well, I am sure, I wish
there were a greater hope of your reforming
her."
" Oh, there's no hope at all, ma'am."
" Because, you see, after all, a familiar
face is more pleasant to us than a strange
one or a succession of strange ones ; and
her face is rather a nice one, and she's very
neat."
" She dressed for you. And she dresses
for the tradespeople — for every one but
me."
" Girls naturally love dress. And in the
rare cases where they do not they generally
are slovens, untidy in their work no less
than in their persons."
THE LADY OF LIMITED INC02IE. 137
" Yes, indeed, ma'am — oli, I can't bear a
sloven."
"And when tliey are fond of making
little improvements in their own dress they
often acquire a lightness of hand and
dexterity that they turn to very good ac-
count in fine works for their mistresses."
"That's true, too," said Mrs. Cole.
" There was a girl, now, called Lucy, who
would toss me up a cap as lightly as a pan-
cake, only she was such a story-teller."
" I always make as great a point of truth
as of honesty," said Miss Beaumorice.
" Then I wonder you get any servants at
all," said Mrs. Cole. "I always give them
a good rating when I catch them at it, but
I'm obliged to wink at a good deal."
" I find it answers best in a general
way," said Miss Beaumorice, "to rely
more on general principles than on particu-
lars."
"As how?" said Mrs. Cole.
138 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
*' By pointing out to them in the first
place, if there seems any need for it, the
duty and excellence of truth, and the self-
respect and respect of others it always com-
mands in the long run, but especially its
being what God exacts of us all, and will
undoubtedly punish us for transgressing
in/'
''That's beyond me, — too high-flown,"
said Mrs. Cole. " When I find them out,
I ask them what they expect will become
of them and promise to show them up ;
but, dear me, they no more mind it "
" I believe there are some such poor ill-
conducted girls ; happily I have had no ex-
perience of them," said Miss Beaumorice.
'' Then, ma'am, you Ve been very fortu-
nate."
" They must doubtless have had very
bad or misjudging, neglectful mothers.
When I am speaking about a young girl
with a view to engaging her, I always
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 139
inquire whether she has been brought up
by a good mother."
" And how seldom you find it the case, I
should think !" said Mrs. Cole. " Nineteen
mothers out of twenty give their girls no
bringing up at all — don't teach them to set
or stitch, give them no notion of mending
or cutting out — scarcely teach them to cook
a potato."
" I never incline to try girls of that sort,"
said Miss Beaumorice. '' Somebody with
more energy and vocation for the work
must undertake them. Very high work it
is, too — noble work, indeed ; work that
lies within almost every lady's reach, if she
really wants a mission, w^hich is what so
many are now crying out for. I admire
those who throw themselves into it, even if
they make a few mistakes at first. For my
own part, I am hardly equal to more than
training girls for my own particular use,
which generally leads to their passing on
140 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
to better places, or being respectably mar-
ried."
" I should think your place was at a pre-
mium, ma'am," said Mrs. Cole.
" Well, I have been very fortunate on
the whole, certainly," said Miss Beau-
morice.
" I should say the girls were fortunate,""
said Mrs. Cole. " They'd do anything for
you with the chance of a husband."
" Oh, but that is an accidental circum-
stance not kept in view."
" Don't believe it, ma am ! And then I
daresay you give high wages."
*^ No, indeed ; my wages are rather low.
I always begin low, but then I raise them
every year, which I consider a fair arrange-
ment, because every year their services be-
come more valuable."
" Do you mean that if a servant lived
with you thirty years you would go on
raising her wages annually ?"
TRE LADY OF LUIITED INCOME. 141
Miss Beaumorice laughed, and said that
eventuaUty had never occurred to her.
Her young women generally lived with her
four or five years, and then settled near her
in homes of their own, — she had quite a
little circle of them round her.
Mrs. Cole did not know how to take this.
She said, '' I should think your kitchen was
never clear of them when your back was
turned."
'' Oh, they have duties and interests of
their own to keep them at home," said Miss
Beaumorice ; " but they know that when
they do come they are always welcome. In
fact, it is one of the pleasures of my not
very eventful life to take interest in the
welfare of these humble friends, and help
them in their Httle difficulties."
Mrs. Cole said, *' Humph 1" and seemed
weighing in her mind how much of this to
believe. Presently she said abruptly, —
" I suppose, now, you have not one of
142 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
these pattern maids on hand that you
could help me to T
" It is because I have not," said Miss
Beaumorice, smiling, " that I am troubling
you now with inquiries about your servant.
A young friend has commissioned me to
look out for her."
" Then, since your friend is young, I
should say she had better not try Jane."
" I am afraid she had better not. May
I spea,k to her before I go, and tell her I
decline her services ?"
" Please be careful what you say," said
Mrs. Cole, with her hand on the bell, but
not ringing it. " Eemember, pray, I did
not say she was not sober, or civil, or ho-
nest."
'' Certainly."
The bell was rung, and Jane entered with
an anxious, worried look.
'^ I am going," began Miss Beaumorice,
*' to decline troubling you any further, be-
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME, 143
cause I do not think you would suit my
friend/' on which Jane darted a look of hot
anger at her mistress.
" She is young/' pursued Miss Beaumo-
rice, gently, " and anxious not to be trou-
bled by training, which is what, I think,
you probably require. It would be little
to the advantage of either, therefore, if I
were to engage you for her. It will be a
better thing for you if you can find a mis-
tress who will be kind enough to give you
the training you need. It may not be plea-
sant at first — no training is ; but if you
submit yourself to it good-humour edly and
heartily it will be a good thing for you all
your life, even when you come to have a
home of your own."
Jane's face instantly cleared. " I will,
ma am," said she, heartily. " I only wish I
knew where to find such a mistress."
" Sometimes," said Miss Beaumorice, after
a short pause, " we go about seeking for
144 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
something tliat all the while is at our elbow.
Perhaps this good mistress is very near to
you now" (a look of utter disbelief crossed
Jane's face). " It is quite worth your while
to try if it may not be so, even if you are
looking out for the other mistress who may
not immediately appear. But I think you
would be more likely to find this the case
if you made trial of it heartily, without
troubling yourself, for the time, to look out
for the other mistress at all. There are
two parties who must consent to this."
" Yes indeed," said Mrs. Cole, abruptly.
Jane's face again clouded.
" At any rate," pursued Miss Beaumo-
rice, '' you have not another place secured
at present, and have to remain here till
your time is up, unless at great disadvan-
tage to yourself. Surely it will be to your
interest to improve that time as much as
possible by obliging your mistress, as you,
doubtlefc^s, must know how to do after living
THE LADY OF LIMITED INC021E. 145
with lier ten monttis ; so that her last im-
pression of you may be a favourable one.
She mil then, of course, be able to speak
of you much more highly than at present
she could conscientiously do, however much
her kindness might dispose her to it on ac-
count of your friendless position. She
would not only be able, but I am sure she
would be disposed to do so if she saw a
hearty disposition on your part to please
her. You loill try, will you not ? I am
sure of it."
Jane said softly, " Yes, ma'am."
'' You may go now," said Mrs. Cole
shortly, as she saw Miss Beaumorice rise,
" I can let the lady out."
Jane curtseyed and retired.
*' You got quite the whip hand of her,
ma'am, for the time," said Mrs. Cole, in an
emphatic undertone, '^ but only for a time,
I'm sure."
" Oh, I hope better things. Sometimes
VOL. I. 10
146 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
a young person only wants an excuse to
submit. Very often."
'' Well, I hope it may be so, though I
don't expect it."
" Give her a fair trial — for her own sake,
you know, — and I hope it will be for yours
too. I shall take interest in your success.
Good morning."
" Good morning ;" and the interview
concluded.
" I hope my next visit will be pleasanter
and more successful," thought Miss Beau-
morice, as she pursued her way. " Surely
Mrs. Cole, if she had had the mind, might
in ten months have won the confidence and
affection of this girl, and trained her into
usefulness and obedience. Instead of which
she has apparently deteriorated. I much
doubt her success with her now. She
seems to act on a wrong principle or to
have no principle to act on."
Reflecting deeply on the subject, the
THE LADY OF LIMITED IXCOME. 147
lyalk did not seem long to Mrs. Caryl's
gate. There was something very sug-
gestive of small-scale comfort and refine-
ment in the little cottage-villa within it.
One door and two windows were all that
appeared in front, among mantling creepers :
but the door was not narrow and pinched
like Mrs. Cole's, and had a pretty stone
porch to screen it from sun, wind, and rain,
and cast a pretty shadow : the windows,
one above and one below, admitted plenty
of light, were glazed with crown glass as
bright as a diamond, and shaded with snow-
white netting and fringe. As for the gar-
den ground in front, it was amusing to see
that something like landscape gardening
had been not merely attempted but achieved,
by means of a slightly winding walk, not
too narrow, from the gate to the door, a
tiny lawn of velvet turf, with a rustic basket
on three unbarked supports in the centre,
filled with creepers and geraniums, and
10—2
148 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
actually a little plantation of trees that had
not yet overgrown their place, which made
the garden at once pretty and retired. The
chief secret was that too much had not been
attempted. And nothing had been done
without judicious consideration of the effect.
In the spirit of Miss Edgewortli's French
waiting-maid, not a pin but had its mission.
And so little trouble too ! A gardener
might do everything wanted in a quarter
of a day. Almost no mowing, or rolling,
or brushing, very little pruning, and pro-
bably a good deal of it done by the lady
herself, for the plants and flowers looked
as if they were being continually touched
up.
Thought Miss Beaumorice as she rang the
bell, " I should like just such a little house :
there is nothing poverty-stricken ; nothing
superfluous ; one might live here comfort-
ably with one maid ; in fact, there cannot
be work for two ; and the kitchen must be
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 149
SO near the parlour that neither of the in-
mates can be lonely."
Within all was equally to her mind.
The door was opened by a plain but highly
respectable -looking middle-aged woman,
who showed her into the parlour. Mrs.
Caryl, a quiet old lady in black, was seated
at her netting, but there were writing ma-
terials on the table. She rose with a plea-
sant smile to receive her visitor.
" Susan told me to expect this call from
you," said she when they were seated, " but
1 was not sure that the shower might not
deter you from coming out."
" Oh, it has been nothing," said Miss
Beaumorice, " and I was under shelter when
it occurred. It has made everything plea-
santly fresh. The grass in your garden
sparkles with bright drops."
" They look so pretty," said Mrs. Caryl.
" You are compHmentary to call it a garden,
but it is just enough for me, and for an old
150 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
man whom nobody else will employ. They
say he is past work, but he can do just
enough to excuse me for paying him a few
shillings, though he requires constant watch-
ing, being rather fond of his own ways,
which are not alway-s mine. You come for
Susan's character. She is a very nice girl
indeed, and I was very sorry when I found
she wished for a change ; but I could not
be much surprised after her living three
years in so quiet a place. I am an old com-
panion, you see, for a young girl, and she
is too well-principled to go astray after
younger ones. So, after some talk, I agreed
to her looking out, only begging her to re-
main here till she found quite a safe place.
She has been longer doing this than she
expected. Meanwhile I have found a ser-
vant to supply her place, whom I have
taken into the house at once, that she might
not be in lodgings."
After this a frank conversation ensued^
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 151
which tended to give Miss Beaumorice a
very favourable opinion both of mistress
and servant. Mrs. Caryl did not launch
into excessive encomiums, but spoke heartily
and with every appearance of sincerity of
her young maid, who, in all material points,
such as truth, faithfulness, obedience, clean-
liness, disposition to please and to be con-
tented, &c., seemed unimpeachable. The
question whether she would be equal to
the work required of her was one that
could only be answered by trial. Miss
Beaumorice thought the experiment quite
worth making, and engaged to write to
Miss Beaufort to say so. At this point
Susan came in, neat and smiling, with a
heap of letters and book parcels from the
post ; and Miss Beaumorice, after exchang-
ing a few words with her, and promising to
let her know the result of her letter, rose
to go.
" Pray do not hurry," said Mrs. Gary],
152 TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
pleasantly. " I quite enjoy your visit. I
cannot say that in general I can profess as
much."
" It would only be intrusion to remain
longer, when you have such a heap of cor-
respondence awaiting your leisure."
" Oh, these are chiefly proofs ; I know
their contents pretty well. There Avill be
plenty of time for them by and by, when
I cannot have the pleasure of your com-
pany."
"You are very enviable, I think," said
Miss Beaumorice, " if you have such a re-
source as — authorship."
" Yes, it is a resource that I am thank-
ful for on more accounts than one," said
Mrs. Caryl, cheerfully. *' For one thing,
it is a privilege for a woman at my time of
life to have the means of securing her inde-
pendence by what is, after all, as much an
amusement as a labour. Then it gives one
many little opportunities of being helpful
TEE LAD Y OF LIGHTED INCOME. 153
to others — gives purpose to one's reading —
gives continual subjects to hunt up and
think about, quite apart from petty scan-
dals and local gossips. And the actual
craft itself is very dear to me ; so that
it really helps to make me a happy old
lady."
And her face shone with smiles as she
said so.
''I am sure it must," said Miss Beau-
morice, energetically. "In a harmless
sense I may say I envy you."
" You need never do that ; for there is
nothing to hinder your doing the same
thing."
" Except the ability," said Miss Beau-
morice, laughing. " I should not have
your success, and that would make all the
difference."
'^ How do you know till you try ? I
would not say so to every one, but I do so
confidently to you."
154 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME,
" Oh, Mrs. Caryl ! How can you do-
that r
'^ Why, by a sort of intuition, I suppose ;
of course, I don't pretend to be infallible,
but ' set a thief to catch a thief,' — set an
author to detect in another an aptitude for
authorship."
" I wish you were right ; but I assure
you I have not the least persuasion that
you are so."
" Well, wait till the next dull day, or
long, lonely, evening," said Mrs. Caryl,
**wait till some subject presents itself to
you — •! do not bid you hunt about for one,
but when it comes of itself, be grateful,
and do your best for it."
*' Comes of itself! But that would be
inspiration."
" Call it by that fine name if you like,
though I don't ; but I always find I do
best what comes to me in this unsought,
unpremeditated way. It may have been
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 155
the result of much foregone thought — of
many thoughts, and feehngs, and experi-
ences, and vexations, and mortifications,
and scraps of other people's sayings, and
bits of sermons and passages in books, and
glimpses of scenery and of cottage life, and
— or a hundred things besides, that with-
out any particular trouble of mine have
rolled themselves up till — till they offer
themselves to my pen almost irresistibly,
so that I should be graceless indeed not to
write them down."
"Truly I think so!" said Miss Beau-
morice, warmly. "Well, I hope such a
conglomeration of happy thoughts may
suggest themselves some time or other to
me ; but our minds are so different."
" That need not hinder," said Mrs.
Caryl. "You must have some mind, of
course, in order to turn it to account ; but
when you have the raw article, it is sur-
prising how much can be done with it by
156 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
j)ractice and by training. If you really
have the desire, and the need, only try ; I
a.m not afraid of the result. Good-bye ;
but don't let this be our last as well as
first meeting. I am no visitor, you per-
haps know ; but drop in on me now and
then when you feel inclined, if you ever
feel inclined."
" I am sure I shall. Thank you ; thank
you very much."
They shook hands warmly as they
parted.
CHAPTER IX,
TEA-TABLE TALK.
*' We took our work, and went, you see,
To have an early cup of tea."
Jaxe Tayloe,
'JgS Miss Beaumorice took her way
homeward along the devious
country road, mth broad turf
margins and budding hedges, her sense of
f^itigue was beguiled by amusing fancies of
what she might write about, if she were
minded to follow Mrs. Caryl's suggestion.
Many a pretty thought occurred to her
which seemed as if it would be the easiest
thing in the world to write down when at
home ; but on her actual arrival there, all
158 TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
these pleasant day-dreams were scattered,
like sparrows from corn, by tlie sight of a
letter awaiting her, which she saw at once
was from Alured.
He wrote in high spirits. He had
passed ; and ov/ing to what happy train of
circumstancees he did not fail to particu-
larize. He gratefully spoke of his obliga-
tions to her and to Miss Partridge, who had
given him a higher motive-power in working
at what had previously seemed to him
very unnecessary as well as very tiresome
studies.
*^ For instance," he said, "it at first ap-
peared absurd to me to pore over algebra
and Euclid, w^hen the chief duties I should
be called on to fulfil would be of a strictly
practical nature. I did not see why I
should be forced through a routine that
Wellington was never subjected to, and
probably would not have mastered. You
and Miss Partridge made me see that the
THE LADY OF LUHIED IB GOME, 159
mere knowledge a candidate acquires in
preparing for competitive examination, is
only part of the benefit he receives ; — that
still more valuable are the habits he acquires
of appHcation and industry. Dr. G. says
I have much improved in thoroughness and
industry lately, which I don't say boast-
ingly, but because I know it will give you
pleasure. I certainly was a good deal sur-
prised at my own luck, 1 was going to call
it, but I do not think you like the word.
I thought Headley a great deal more likely
to pass than I was, yet he has not. He
overstrained his mind at first ; and then,
instead of relaxing it with cricket and foot-
ball, took to smoking and drinking. This
is the case with too many crammers ; they
lose the energy required to play heartily.
'' In fact, though I don't cram, and have
not the head for it, I feel very listless some-
times after brain-work, from half past six
till one, and would rather smoke with
160 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
Headley than take a brisk walk. But I
knew it would not do ; and, on the con-
trary, have done my best to get him to join
me in long walks and athletic exercises.
We had planned a walking tour together
at Easter, if he passed, and proposed — don't
be shocked — to look in on you ; but since
he has not, he has become desponding and
recluse, and will not go anywhere."
Miss Beaumorice grieved over the falling
off of one of Alured's familiar friends, though
she did not feel very anxious to make his
acquaintance. She sent Alured her warm
congratulations, and encouraged him to
steady persistence in well doing ; adding
that she hoped she should not lose his
Easter visit because he could not get a
companion.
Then she wrote to Mary about the cha-
racters of the two servants ; and then the
thought recurred to her that had floated in
her mind coming home. She tried to com-
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 161
mit them to paper ; and even gave a long
hour to the effort. But no : —
" As pebbles on the beach appear,
Beneath the waters, bright and clear ;
But, taken thence and dried, they lose
Their polished and transparent hues,"
SO the polished and transparent thoughts
that had pleased her so much under the
influence of fresh air and brisk exercise,
now " taken thence and dried," appeared
trite and inane to the last degree ! Im-
possible to please others, since they did not
even please herself In a kind of indigna-
tion at herself, she thought, " I knew my
own want of aptitude better than Mrs.
Caryl could possibly do. She has her line ;
I mine, though a humble one."
A loud ring at the house-beU. What
can it be? A railway parcel from Miss
Partridge — a light deal box full of all man-
ner of pretty things for Signer Bonomi's
bazaar. It was Miss Beaumorice who had
VOL. I. 11
162 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
suggested the idea to her and asked her
aid ; and yet she had done almost nothing
herself; had lately nearly forgotten the
whole affair ; and yet the bazaar was to be
in May, and here she was in March ! She
took shame to herself for it, and inspired
with renewed zeal began to hunt up her
stores, plan work for herself and her
maids, aye, and for her young friends too.
Those Nuneham girls always loved bene-
volent usefulness ; they were clever at
fancy works, they had ready invention.
She would ask them to co-operate ; she
was sure it would not be in vain.
No sooner said than done. Three cordial
lines of invitation brought three smiling
faces to enliven her tea-table ; and three
pairs of hands to be of service.
"And what is it to be for, dear Miss
Beaumorice ? what is the object of the
bazaar ?" inquired Grace. " Italian Pro-
testantism ? Oh, delightful ; Papa knows
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 163
that interesting Dr. De Sanctis ; and sym-
pathizes very much with the Madiai."
*' Do tell me, Miss Beaumorice," cried
Julia, eagerly, " is Garibaldi a Catholic or
a Protestant ? I so want to know."
" Perhaps he hardly knows himself," said
Miss Beaumorice. " A Father somebody,
you know, is called his chaplain ; but I
never heard of a chapel in Caprera. And
he reads the Bible. One thing I feel
assured of, that he is a Christian, though
a singular one."
" Oh, I am so glad to hear you say so.
Only they report such strange sayings of
his sometimes."
'' Ah, Cassius was not the only one who
might well complain of having his uncon-
sidered words —
" * Set in a note-book, conned, and learnt by rote.'
*' Many of Garibaldi's mots, probably, are
utter inventions, at a penny-a-Hne ; others,
11—2
164 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
mere jests, that he never meant to be
taken in earnest. He feels things so
strongly, however, that sometimes he ex-
presses them too strongly — for popular
approval at any rate. Then he is taken
to task for it."
" See, I have made a penwiper like a
little union Jack," said Agnes, '' out of
the scraps you were going to throw
away."
" Throw away nothing, please," said
Julia, " they will make pincushions and
patches."
"Grandmamma knows an old lady,"
said Grace, "who at eighty-four made a
patchwork quilt for a hospital. It was
laid on the bed of a young man who had
been a great grief to his family, and had
at length reduced himself to want. He
noticed among the patches a print resem-
bling a gown of his mother s, which he had
greatly admh^ed when a child. Perhaps
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 165
like Cowper's mother, she had taught him
to amuse himself by copying the flowers
with pricks of a pin. At any rate, it
brought such touching memories of her to
his mind, that his heart softened, and one
thing and another strengthened the good
impression till he became a reformed young
man. When my grandmother heard this
she was struck by it, and said, ' If one old
lady upwards of eighty-four can make a
patchwork quilt, another can.' So she has
actually one in progress, which when finished
is to be sent to a hospital. She begs
patches of her friends ; and one peculiarity
of her quilt is, that the figures — constella-
tions you may almost call them, — have
every one a white centre of calico ; on
which grandmamma prints a text in large
letters with marking ink."
" What an original idea," said Miss
Beaumorice. '^ I will look her out some
pieces."
166 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
" Grace ! don't you think we might make
such a counterpane for Signor Bonomi's
bazaar T cried Julia.
" Yes, that would be quite a unique con-
tribution," said Grace. " If there were
but time."
" Oh, we could make time," said Julia,
eagerly, " and the quilt might be smaller
than grandmamma's."
" Yes, that would be capital," said Miss
Beaumorice. *' And my maids shall help
you if you like. They will enjoy it."
" Oh yes, by all means ! Many hands
make light work."
*^ Julia is always striking out new ideas,"
said Grace, laughing.
" This hardly deserves to be called one,"
said Julia ; "it is only an adaptation of
grandmamma's idea."
" I love invention and originality," said
Miss Beaumorice, "though I have very
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 167
little of my own. If you will furnish the
new ideas, I will do my best to assist in
the workmanship."
"Tell me of some good mottos," said
Agnes, " for book-markers. I don't mean
texts."
" Hope always."
" Thank you. That will do for one. It
is nice and short."
" Ora et kchora. But that's Latin."
That will do thouorh. I will book
it/
" Aspettare e non venire,
Star in letto e non dormire,
Servire e non gradire,
Son' tre cose a far morire."
" Too long, Grace," said Julia, " Now,
Alice."
" Chiudete la porta,'' said Alice, merrily,
which made them all laugh. "I'm sure
that's a favourite motto of papa's,"
168 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
" And ' sta in letto ' of jours, Miss Lazy-
bones/'
" Harry has a nice set of dried ferns,"
said Alice. " I wonder if they would fetch
anything/'
" Yes, I should think so, if they are nicely
arranged."
"He has also a collection of people's
crests and monograms, which papa called
great nonsense ; but they are so beautifully
arranged and connected with coloured
borders, that they are really very pretty.
He is out of conceit with them now, though,
and would be glad, very likely, to turn
them to good use."
'* That would be very nice."
" He collected the postage stamps of all
nations," said Alice ; and the flags of all
nations."
" Ah that has so often been done now."
" Not arranged like Harry's, though.
The flags have poetical mottos — from
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 169
Shakspere and others — and political ones,
some of them in the style of Punch."
" Shakspere and Pimch hand in hand !"
said Miss Beaumorice, laughing. '' Every
taste must surely be pleased.'^
" I wonder," said Grace, " whether nice
little collections of garden-seeds would
have any value. To children they might,
— httle packets, you know, of annuals —
we might supply them in almost any quan-
tity, at no expense at all, in sixpenny
packets, and give good measure too. Sow-
ing time is coming on."
" I call that an excellent idea," said
Miss Beaumorice. " I shall book these
suggestions as they occur, that we may not
forget them."
" I heard," said Grace, " that the Miss
Gamblers were very active at a fancy -fair
at Gravesend some time ago, and cleared I
forget how much in sixpences and shillings
by little sealed notes inscribed ' advice to
170 TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
gentlemen/ and 'advice to ladies/ The
buyers were upon honour not to betray
what was inside. It was ' don't be sharp '
— 'dont be flat.' There were shouts of
laughter."
"Just like one of the Miss Gamblers'
jokes/' said Miss Beaumorice. '' I do not
think it particularly witty. But success
often depends on the thing being well-
timed."
'' I wonder how a little book would sell/'
said Alice, " called ' How to Live a Little
Longer.' "
" That would be a taking title certainly,
but how would you make it out ?" asked
Grace.
Alice paused; but Miss Beaumorice said,
" Oh, I think some good recipes might be
given. 'Don't turn night into day. Don't
overload the brain. Don't smoke. Don't
fret. Avoid alcohol. Avoid medicine.
Use fresh water freely. Take plenty of
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 171
exercise. Don't be envious. Don't be
cross.' "
" Nine good rules," said Alice. " We
may easily make them twelve ; one to a
page, you know, with vignettes."
Miss Beaumorice laughed and booked
it.
" What say you," said she, as she wrote,
to a young lady's pictorial account-book ?
*' An ordinary account-book, you know,
interleaved with original designs."
" Really we are cutting ourselves out
plenty of work," said Grace, with anima-
tion. " That would just suit Caroline —
she draws so nicely. What should the
subjects be ?"
'' Ah, I have no invention — you must
find them," said Miss Beaumorice. " Only
I think the title-page might have a group
of justice, with her sword and scales, sup-
ported by economy and liberality."
" Oh, Miss Beaumorice ! how can you
172 THE LAB Y OF LIMITED INCOME.
say you have no invention ? I am sure
Caroline could work out sucli a hint as
that — how should economy be repre-
sented r
" Ah, I cannot say — unless sitting at
the feet of justice, and pointing up to her
with one hand, and holding her account-
book in the other."
" That would do ! — as much as to say,
' No, I really can't afford that. You see
how my sister Liberality is scattering her
money on the other side.' Would they be
sisters ? or rivals V
"Sisters, certainly," said Miss Beau-
morice, '' playing into each other's hands,
though each having her separate depart-
ment."
'' That idea would quite suit papa.
Then as to the other designs. Let us
settle them, and then Caroline will have
nothing to do but to sketch them."
" There should be at least two."
THE LABT OF LIMITED INCOME. 173
" Two ? A dozen, please," interposed
Alice ; " one for every month."
" Jf you can find as many. Suppose we
begin with extravagance spending nearly
the whole of her first quarter's allowance
at Lewis and Allonby's — thereby crippling
herself for the rest of the three months.
That will be an impressive warning, highly
approved by parents and guardians."
" Oh, yes ; and let the next be self-
denial, eating a plain bun instead of a
plum one."
" She would be more self-denying to go
without, I think," said Grace. "Then,
selfishness might be turning a deaf ear
and a blind eye to a little barefooted
boy, wistfully looking through the pastry-
cook's window."
" And improvidence, in thin boots, with
no umbrella, picking her way through the
rain, unable to pay for omnibus or cab."
*^ Ideas flow apace," said Miss Beau-
174 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
morice. And as if that little gratulation
broke the spell, the flow was instantly
checked.
'' Well, we seem to have nothing more
to say," observed Grace, presently. " Miss
Beaumorice, that was an unfortunate re-
mark of yours."
" It was."
" How often it is so !" said Alice.
" Alice ! you extraordinary child ! what
can you be thinking of? Do you mean
that Miss Beaumorice's sayings are often
unfortunate ?"
" No, but that when we congratulate
ourselves on getting on famously, we often
suddenly stop short."
"Yes, I have foimd it so sometimes,"
said Miss Beaumorice.
" Oh, so have I," said Julia. " Boasting
is unlucky."
** Julia, papa would not like that. Be-
sides, Miss Beaumorice was not boasting."
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 175
" I am afraid it was akiii to it," said
Miss Beaiimorice. Then, after a pause,
" How easily we find subjects to talk
about, quite distinct from gossip about our
neighboiu^."
This remark had the same consequence
as the former one; for she herself presently
set the example of talking about neigh-
bours.
** Do you know anythicg of Mrs.
Caryl?"
" Oh ! such a nice old lady I I wish
she were in our parish, for you know,
Longfield is rather too far off for us to
see much of her, even if she were not
lame."
*' Dear me, is she lame ? I did not
notice."
*' Oh, then you could not have seen her
go about much."
" No, I only saw her once, by her own
fireside."
176 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
" She is very lame indeed, sometimes.
Her ancle gives way suddenly, and down
she comes. It prevents her going out
much."
" Poor Mrs. Caryl ! it must be a trial to
her. Nobody would think she had one,
she is so cheerfal."
" Papa says her writing is a compensa-
tion to her. It must be, I am sure. She
writes such pretty books."
'' I do not remember to have seen any of
them.''
** Her nom de plume is Allegra. I dare
say you would not think so much of them
as we do, for they are hardly intended for
grown-up people, though papa reads them
always. He says there are so many un-
obtrusive morals in them. And they are
very amusing ; grandmamma always reads
them."
" I always read them over and over
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 177
aojain/' said Alice. " Seven or eic^ht
times."
" Well, I think Mrs. Caryl may be satis-
fied with her fame," said Miss Beau-
morice.
" Oh, Miss Beaumorice ! But certainly
she has a very fair share of it — of popu-
larity and success that is ; for I suppose it
is not so grand as fame. In fact, the
reviewers take very little notice of her,
and when they do, are not always very
compHmentary ; but she says cheerfully,
that does not signify much as long as
she pleases her paymasters and her
readers."
" Truly, I think so !" said Mlss Beau-
morice, with energy. '^ I wish I could do
as much and say as much."
" She would tell you how, if you asked
her," said Grace. '' She hates mysteries
and secrets. She says the chief things are
VOL. I. 12
178 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
to like your work, to know your work, and
to stick to your work.''
"That sounds very easy, without per-
haps being so," said Miss Beaumorice.
'* Yes,'' said Grace, '' She took Caro-
line in training for a time, because there
are so many of us, and papa's means are so
limited, that it seemed it would be a good
thing for one at least of us to be able to
make money. Caroline did not want
patience or energy ; she never does in any-
thing. But though she writes a beautiful
hand, it proved that she only made herself
nervous and feverish, without being able
to write a good book ; so papa then put a
stop to it, and said she was first-rate as
the manager of his motherless family, and
his dear companion, and she had better be
content with that, and with being his
district visitor and almost curate, without
trying to be what she was never intended
to be."
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 179
"By the way/' said Miss Beaumorice,
after a pause, *' there is going to be a new
curate at Longfield. Does your papa know
him at all ?"
" Mr. Brooke ? Yes, he has dined with
him at Dr. Garrow's. He thought him
a nice young man ; perhaps rather
vie\vy."
" What do you mean by viewy ?"
" Having crotchets of his own that he
is bent on working out, whether adapted
to people and circumstances or not. At
least that is what I think papa meant.
He did not think he had had much ex-
perience of village character, or took ex-
pediency and suitability sufficiently into
consideration. Papa called him 'rather
young,' but he is five-and-twenty. Papa
thought he would become more practical
when he married."
"Yes," said Miss Beaumorice, thought-
fully. " And he is going to marry a young
12—2
180 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
friend of mine — Miss Beaufort, whom you
have seen.''
*'Ah, the Miss Gambiers were right,
then. They said he was engaged, and
ever since that, they have taken no interest
in him."
" Julia," said Grace, reprovingly.
" I am sure it is true. Just as if it
could make a bit of difference in him."
" Your papa thinks it ivill make a differ-
ence in him, for the better," said Miss
Beaumorice.
" Oh yes ; only his being an amiable,
pleasant man, remains the same. I re-
member Miss Beaufort. She stayed with
you last spring, I think. She seemed a
very nice, lively girl ; and to know all
about everything."
'* That is saying a great deal."
" A great deal more than country per-
sons do, or are supposed to do, at any
rate ; or to think she did. She did know
TEE LABY OF LIMITED IXCOME. 181
a great deal more than I did — than we do
— about London affairs."
" Of course, just as you would know
more of country affairs than she did."
" There is little enough to know about
them, I think ! They are so easy."
" I hope Mary will find them so. I am
rather in anxiety on the subject."
"Dear me, what can there be so diffi-
cult ?"
" Housekeeping will be new to her."
" She will only have to keep house for
two."
" And two servants."
" Will she hegin with two ^ I should
have thought one enough."
" She has been used to many more, you
see ; so that at first, two will seem to her a
small establishment."
" Of course, two will cost twice as much
as one," said Ahce.
" No," said Grace, " that does not follow,
182 TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
unless tliey lead one another to be extrava-
gant."
" I dare say Miss Beaufort — Mrs. Brooke
— will find the butcher very tiresome. We
find ours so."
" Yes ; London tradespeople are more
reliable, because there is so much competi-
tion, that if they do not please you, you
can easily suit yourself elsewhere."
" That's papa's ring !" cried Julia, as the
house-bell rang.
Mr. Nuneham came to take care of his-
daughters home, though it was still early.
He came in time to secure a good chat with
Miss Beaumorice first.
" You seem all very busy," said he,
cheerfully, as he looked round.
" Oh, papa ! Miss Beaumorice is letting
us help her work for a fancy fair."
" Very kind of Miss Beaumorice."
" Very kind of your daughters," she in-
terposed. " They have not only supplied
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 183
me with their ready, dexterous fingers, but
with abundance of ideas."
" I hope these ideas may represent
money's worth, since they have no money.
What is the object? — a good one I am
sure."
" An Itahan Protestant orphanage."
" Excellent ! I am sure some of the
spare time you ladies generally have so
much of may well be directed in so good a
cause, to what Henry Yaughan of Crick-
howel called ^ the pious accomplishments of
sacred industry/ by which even leisure is
made to cast its tribute into the treasury."
"I am not so sure that ladies have
always quite as much leisure as you sup-
pose, though, papa," said Grace.
" Always ? I said generally, and I think
you three lasses may be included in that
word. Caroline perhaps might not."
'^ And yet they are reckoning on her,"
said Miss Beaumorice, "to draw extra va-
184 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
gance, emptying her purse at Lewis and
AUonby's, and self-denial eating a plain
bun."
" Ah, that's a rich idea. Let me see if I
cannot cut Caroline out."
" Oh ! do, papa, do !" cried Alice, giving
him paper and a pencil. '^ You draw such
capital caricatures !''
*' If I draw a capital one now, it will be
because such a capital idea is supphed me.
Let me see, how am I to dress a fashionable
young lady ? Julia, put yourself in a good
jposeJ'
'' Fm a fashionable young lady, am I ?"
said Julia, merrily. " I'm so glad you take
up the fancy-fair, papa. I was not quite
sure you would."
" Oh, I was sure he would," said
Alice.
" Which knew me best, I wonder ?" said
Mr. Nuneham. '' There is a great deal of
nonsense mixed up with fancy-fairs, I be-
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 185
lieve ; but since you are not going to hold
fltaUs "
"What fun it would be, though," said
Alice, softly.
" No, that I protest against ; and Miss
Beaumorice will get into my black books if
she puts such a thing in your head.''
" I certainly will not," said Miss Beau-
morice.
" No, no ; I am sure you will not. You
know where discretion begins and ends."
'' What a pleasant evening it has been,"
thought Miss Beaumorice, when it was
over. " And all without the least fass,
fatigue, or excitement. People who are
sociable may have plenty of society without
expense, if they know how to set about it."
She was not sleepy, and after clearing
away the debris of the fancy-work, she
opened her writing-case, and read again her
discarded attempt at a magazine essay. It
seemed better on re-perusal. Why was
186 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME,
this ? It remained the same as at first, but
she read it with fresh eyes, and in a dif-
ferent frame of mind. On the spur of the
moment she set to work and finished it ;
was pleased with the achievement, thought
'' nothing venture, nothing have,'' made it
up into a little book-post parcel, then, with
more deliberation, selected the publisher to
whom to submit it, and finally addressed
a few polite lines to him, requesting
the favour of his attention to her manu-
script. Next day she posted letter and
parcel, and then turned her thoughts to
other things, awaiting her fate.
Easter was now drawing near. Mean-
while, Mr. Nuneham was benefitting his
flock by a course of Lent Lectures, on Se-
paration from the World, which he main-
tained might be shown in refraining from
what, even if lawful, we feel to be inexpe-
dient — in refusing what is unlawful, even
at the risk of the world's laugh — and in
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 187
going on steadily in the right path, even
while the world not only ridicules us, but
tells us we are neglecting our duty.
" One of the tests," he observed, " by
which we may try ourselves, whether we
are of the world or not, is ' do we desire to
do more than we can V Worldly people,
little as they do, desire to do still less."
CHAPTEE X.
VISITS AND VISITORS.
" Yet in her plenty, in her welcome free,
There was her guiding, nice frugality
That, in the festal as the frugal day
Had, in a different mode, an equal way."
Crabbe.
*ARY wrote to thank Miss Beau-
morice for her trouble, and to
beg her to engage Susan, add-
ing that the disappointment in the other
quarter was of no consequence, as a friend
had helped her to a first-rate cook, whose
only drawback was that her wages were to
be rather too high. This seemed a bad
beginning, Miss Beaumorice thought; and
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. \m
she wondered whether by " first-rate " Mary
meant first-rate good qualities, or that the
cook had had a first-rate place.
Mary proceeded to say that she knew it
would only be a compliment, and therefore
no compliment at all, to ask dear Miss
Beaumorice to come to her wedding, or
else it would have given her such pleasure,
&c., &c.
This took Miss Beaumorice aback. She
had been thinking that Mary certainly
would ask her, and contemplating, not
exactly with chagrin, but with perplexity,
the sacrifice of her bonnet and dress to
the necessities of Bosina, and wondering
whether she must buy them after all.
Here was the expense saved ! — but at
another expense which she did not much
relish — the expense of wounded feeling at
an undeniable slight. Here had she been
taking trouble for Mary, and laying out
fully as much as she could afibrd in a pre-
190 TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
sent for her, and here was her return !
''Well, it is no great matter," she thought
presently. " Young people will be young
people, and have their little preferences.
Perhaps I'm too old, or not fashionable
enough, or there may not be a corner for
me at the breakfast-table, or — it does not
signify — and the expense is saved." Still
the bloom had been a little brushed off the
wedding. She thought it might now take
its course without any unsolicited inter-
vention, which might be construed into
officiousness. She would pursue the even
tenor of her wav as if there were no such
thing as a wedding in the world ; and when
Mary came into the neighbourhood, be just
as social or as independent of her as she
seemed to wish.
"Though I am never very strong,"
thought she, " I have enjoyed such good
health lately as perhaps to forget how old
I am growing, — really verging towards the
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 191
completion of half a century ! too old for
wedding breakfasts and sucL. nonsenses,
except when relationships and old friend-
ships are concerned."
But this had been an old friendship, so
the best way was not to think about it ;
only it ivas strange that Mary had never
acknowledged her present. Perhaps she
did not value it, any more than Mrs.
Jay's.
The mystery was cleared up. The ink-
stand had unfortunately been broken in
packing, and the tradesman did not ac-
quaint Miss Beaumorice with the fact till
he could tell her at the same time that he
had procured a counterpart of it from Paris,
and despatched it to its destination. By
the same post came a letter from Mary,
warmly thanking her for her pretty present,
which she assured her she should take into
constant use, and pleading with her to
make an exception in her favour with -re-
192 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
gard to tlie breakfast, it would give her
sucli pleasure.
But Miss Beaumorice said no with less
effort this time ; her mind was decidedly
made up that she did not want to go, and
she wrote Mary an amusing, affectionate
letter on the subject, which Mary perhaps
was well pleased to receive. For she de-
cidedly thought Miss Beaumorice old, and,
as she said to Mrs. Beaufort, they had a
sufficient number of old, and too old guests
already, who would be affronted if left out,
but who excluded many who were young,
attractive, and entertaining.
The next notice, then, of the event, was
the arrival of a little triangular box con-
taining a good old-fashioned slice of wed-
ding cake, and cards tied with silver
twist ; both too grand, perhaps, for a young
curate's wife ; but Mary had said, as much
in earnest as in jest, she would as soon die
as not be in style.
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 193
This was at Easter, and when Miss Par-
tridge was spending a few days with Miss
Beaumorice. The joint contributions for
the fancy fair had been duly despatched,
and a grateful letter of thanks received from
Signora Bonomi, and Miss Partridge, who
was going to rejoin her pupils in Cavendish
Square, meant to chaperon them to the fair
itself in the Hanover Square Booms.
The three youngest Nunehams had again
been asked to tea, and the female party
were getting on so entirely to their satis-
faction as to remind Miss Beaumorice of the
name of a farce called, " Gentlemen, we can
do without you," — when two gentlemen,
blithe but dusty, walked in, who certainly
did not find themselves unwelcome. These
were Alured Ward and a friend — not the
young man who had been plucked, but a
steadier and more successful one, Ainshe
by name — who were on a walking-tour
together. They had bespoken beds at the
VOL. I. 13
194 THE LADY OF LIMITEl) INCOME.
inn, but meantime were desirous to be-
stow their evening on Miss Beaumorice.
She was delighted to see them ; so was
Miss Partridge, with whom Alured in-
stantly renewed friendly relations, so that
Mr. Ainslie had a double share of the cheer-
ful hostess's attention ; and the Miss Nune-
hams were soon taking their full portion of
pleasant, unconstrained talk, withoLit either
forwardness or shyness. Mr. Ainslie, who
was good-looking and gentlemanlike, had a
frankness and honhommie that bespoke the
good opinion of strangers, which was not
usually withdrawn on better acquaintance.
Without difficulty Miss Beaumorice soon
placed these young people en rapioort,
having done which, she turned to see how
Alured and Miss Partridge were getting on
together. Miss Partridge was naturally
imaginative ; and the matter-of-fact routine
of her daily life made her the more gladly
seize on any outlet from prosaic duties into
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 195
the realms of fancy. She was now ques-
tioning Alured about his father s old castle,
which she said she had often tried to
picture, and she begged him to give
her some definite idea of it. Had it
not once belonged to the Archbishop of
Cologne ?
'' Oh, no, — that is to say, he tried to get
it attached to the electoral fief, but his claim
was not allowed by the imperial diet, and
so it was adjudged to a Baron somebody,
whose descendant eventually parted with
it to an ancestor of my step-mother s for
the ignoble consideration of thirty thousand
florins."
" How one would like to live in such a
fine old castle !"
'' Well, it's very good fun ; only one gets
rather tired of it, especially when all the
low grounds are under water, and one gets
no books, newspapers, or cigars."
" I should not miss the last," said Miss
196 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
Partridge, laughing. " I fear you don't
appreciate your advantages."
"Perhaps not. On the whole I think
more highly of Pegent Street in the height
of the London season."
" That will soon be here, and I shall not
be far from Pegent Street, but I would ex-
change it for your old castle."
" Well, if it were mine I should pull five-
sixths of it down, and only keep a nice
little hunting-box. What is a bachelor-
fellow to do with thirty-six bedrooms ?"
'^Oh, but you wont be a bachelor al-
ways."
" Think what a lot of servants it would
take to keep it up. My father doesn't at-
tempt it, I assure you. In ' the annulled
rooms ' the dust lies an inch thick. If the
servants are told to clean them, they only
give the floors a lick with a promise."
" A promise of what ?"
" A better cleaning some time or other."
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 197
"Ah, they want a lady to look after
them," said Miss Partridge, regretfully.
" Your father is certainly to be pitied."
" Oh, he doesn't care for the dust. He
does care, though, for the loss of the poor
countess, for she was very companionable,
and he is veiy sociable."
*' Poor man."
"Alured," said Miss Beaumorice sud-
denly, "what has become of Countess
Idalia r
" Oh, poor Idaha 1 My father was so
sorry she wasn't a Cathohc, because then,
you know he could have put her into a con-
vent ; but being as she is, he has placed
her at a Moravian school in the Black
Forest for the present, though she is rather
too old."
" What a change ! Does she like it ?"
" Oh, yes. The music is first-rate, they
are as kind as can be, and — there are no
end of games."
198 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
" What do you mean T said Miss Par-
tridge, laughing.
" Oh, little pleasure-excursions for tv/o or
three days sometimes, under the direction
of Herr Inspector, little fetes in the forest,
potato feasts, strawberry feasts, bilberry
feasts, and all sorts/'
"Hum — very attractive to children,
doubtless ; only "
" Oh, there's plenty of teaching, besides,
— examinations and so forth. Oh, they're
not behind-hand."
" Only you say she's rather old "
" Well, she's eighteen."
Miss Beaumorice laughed at Alured's
standard of age, and then turned to the
Nuneham party. They were discussing with
interest the intended progress of the walk-
ing tour, which Mr. Ainslie much wished
should, even at the expense of a longish
cut across country, include a visit to Pens-
hurst.
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 199
" I want to see that famous old place,"
said he, *^and make acquaintance with
Saccharissa's Walk, and Sidney's Oak, and
Ben Jonson's Mount."
'' There is a good account of it in Howitt's
' Eemarkable Places,' " said Grace. " I
suppose you have read it."
" No, but I remember seeing an account
in one of the old Penmj Magazines a good
while ago."
" I can supply you with that if you like
to run over it," said Miss Beaumorice.
" Oh, do, please ! I shall be so much
obliged."
*' It is among the ' Rambles from Eail-
ways,'" said Julia to Miss Beaumorice.
'' Shall I help you to find it T
" Here it is, — in the volume for 1843."
" I want to see with my own eyes," said
Mr. Ainslie. " The old banquet hall with
its music-galleiy and dais, and its fireplace
in the centre of the hall, with no chimney,
200 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
of course, — how was it they were not all in
a smother of smoke ?"
•* People were not so nice in those days
as to mind a few smuts ; and there was
plenty of draught to carry the smoke off, —
it escaped through the timber- arched roof,
in which there was a ' lantern.' "
"People's eyes must have watered,
though. But Ben Jonson did not mind it
as long as nobody counted what he ate and
drank, and while he had the same beef,
bread, and wine that were served to Sir
Henry Sidney."
" Here it all is," said Julia, quickly turn-
ing to the passage : —
" Here comes no guest but is allowed to eat
Without liis fear, and of my lord's own meat,
Where the same beer and bread, and self-same wine
That is his lordship's also shall be mine."
" Yes, I should like to see the nice old
place ; not so much for that, though, as for
a good many other things."
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 201
" What would be your prime object, Miss
Nuneham ?"
'' Well, first the oak, then the walk ; and
the bell, and the picture-gallery, and Sir
Philip Sidney's sword."
"Don't forget the church," said JVIiss
Beaumorice ; "be sure you visit the church,
Mr. Ainslie, where Dr. Hammond used to
preach, and the parsonage where Dr. Ham-
mond lived."
" I am ashamed to say, Miss Beaumorice,
that to me Hammond is only a name,
though an honoured one, of course."
" O fie 1"
'^ I don't remember a single line he wrote,
or a single thing he said. Do you ?"
'' Papa has his works," said Julia.
" That's begging the question, Miss Julia;
have you read them ?"
" No, — but Southey said if he were shut
up in prison for life, with hberty to choose
the works of twelve authors for his re-
202 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. >
creation, one of them should be Ham-
mond/'
" Still begging the question, Miss Julia.
We have not Southey here to put to cross-
examination whether he ever read Ham-
mond's works, or only praised them."
" Why should he not V
"Why, indeed? except that so many
people praise books they have never
read."
" Oh, not many, surely !"
*'You have great faith, I see, — some
people would say credulity."
" I don't know why they should. If you
extend your circuit a very little you might
see Hever Castle as well as Penshurst."
'' Ah, I should like that. Anne Boleyn
is one of my heroines."
'' She is not one of mine," said Julia.
" Why not r
''Oh, for contributing to the death of
Sir Thomas More, for one thing."
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
2oa
"People were so iini-elenting in those
days/'
" And she was giddy and frivolous."
" Could a frivolous woman have written
such verses V
" ' Deeds, not words/ are what we should
judge by."
While this point and similar ones con-
tinued in debate, Miss Beaumorice heard
from the other side snatches of such phrases
as " direct commissions in the line," " pass
examinations," " ordinary intelligence,"
" bitter consequences of idling," " thorough-
ness," " smattering," " no good doing things
by halves," " first-rate training," " nothing
worse than aimlessness." Then, agam,
" Chiddingstone— Knowle Park. How far ?
—Oh, too far. Another time." Then
back again to " musketry instruction, posi-
tion drill, platoon exercise, awfully dull old
drill-book, coloners lecture, frightful bother,
you never knew such a row in your life."
204 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
In tlie midst of the talk, in came Mr.
Nuneham, who looked a little surprised at
first, but immediately found his place, and
was soon as animated as anybody. And
the best of it was, that, in his hands,
pointless talk became pointed, disjointed
remarks became significant, one illustra-
tion capped another, well-timed questions
brought out interesting answers, and,
in fact, the talk became good conversa-
tion. No wonder that all seemed sorry
when the evening could no longer be ex-
tended.
This was not one of the sociable gather-
ings that leave no mark. It was remem-
bered with pleasure by all, and created in-
terest thenceforth in each other's doings.
Miss Partridge returned to her London
duties all the brighter for her short holiday,
and her pupils reaped the benefit of it in
her sprightliness and good humour. They
failed not to attend the fancy fau', and to
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 205
make many purchases, some of which found
their way to Miss Beaumorice.
Readily would Miss Beaumorice have
made herself useful in any way to Mary by
preparing her new home for her return.
But Mary had her own notions, and felt no
wish that any preparation of the kind
should be made for her. " The servants
must be equal to their work, or they would
not long keep then- places." Instead of
Miss Beaumorice preparing for her, she
meant to prepare for and astonish Miss
Beaumorice, by the elegance of her sur-
roundings when the first call was made.
So when the important day arrived Miss
Beaumorice did indeed find Mary dressed
to perfection in delicate lilac silk and fine
lace, her hair even more beautifully dressed
than usual, " with everything that pretty
is," in her miniature drawing-room. Mar-
garet was sitting up with her to receive
visitors, and looked full of pleasure and
206 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
importance. No one else had as yet called,
so that there was ample leisure for Mary
to do the honours of her new home,
show all her pretty presents in detail, and
expatiate on the delights of the tour in the
Isle of Wight. Margaret seemed to hang
on every word till the glimpse of a passing
figure made her exclaim, in an energetic
undertone, " Mary ! Mrs. Garrow !" and
Mary was instantly all manner and smiling
self-possession as the Rector's wife was
announced. Mrs. Garrow was a comely,
good-humoured-looking old lady : she took
up a good deal of room in the little draw-
ing-room, which soon, by the entrance of
the two eldest Miss Nunehams, became
almost too full ; and when Mrs. Finch
added to the visitors it was scarcely to be
wondered at, though much to be deplored,
that Mrs. Garrow, in backing her chair to
make a little more space, caught the edge
of an ivory pagoda in her lace shawl and
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 207
nearly pulled it to the ground. Only an
agile spring of Margaret's saved it, and the
lace was a little torn, and a fragment of
ivory broken off, to the secret discomfiture
of Mary, who affected to deplore her lace
more than the pagoda, while Mrs. Garrow
provoked her by the placidity with which
she said, —
" Ah, yes, it's a pity ; but it might have
been worse. The pagoda should have been
on a larger console, you know.''
Just as if, Mary afterwards said, every-
body would not have everything larger and
better if they could.
But the accident was soon waived aside,
and even the yap-yapping of Mrs. Finch's
little lapdog, which Mary thought her very
ill-bred to bring, was ignored, though she
did not accept the offer of a puppy of the
same breed, but said, with a sweet smile,
she had an unfortunate antipathy to dogs.
Cake and wine were introduced, the chit-
208 TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
chat of the day just touched on, and an-
other ring at the visitors' bell warned Miss
Beaumorice to vacate her chair in favour of
the new comer. Mary gave her an expres-
sive look, and most tender pressure of the
hand, and Margaret with alacrity accom-
panied her out, and said, '' You have made
such a short call. Miss Beaumorice ! I do
hope you will soon call again, when we
have not quite so many "
" Oh, yes ! and I hope you will come
and see me very soon, and very often."
"Do you mean me myself ? I shall like
it so much ! I have always wanted to
know more of you."
" Come whenever you like and can be
spared, either with Mary or when she can-
not make it convenient to come so far."
" Thank you, thank you ! I shall not
mind the distance at all. I enjoy the
country so much ! I seem never to have
known real country before. What nice
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 209
girls those Miss Nunehams look ! I hope
— Must you go ? Good-hje 1"
When Mary and Margaret returned the
visit, Miss Beaumorice was dividing hearts-
ease roots in her front garden. She hastily
pulled off her gardening glove to shake
hands with Mary, who was in blue and
white striped book-muslin, with delicate
pale blue gloves, and looking blue too.
She said, —
*' Dear Mary ! you are cold as ice !
This east wind has chilled you ! Do
come in. You are too thinly clad for the
season."
" Oh, it is the first of April, you know !"
said Mary, smiling, but shivering.
" Yes, but though the month is spring,
the weather is winter — 'blackthorn winter,'
people call it. Come in and sit by the
fire."
" That sounds very inviting."
" Pride never feels pain," said Margaret,
VOL. I. 14
210 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
merrily. " Mary would as soon be out of
the world as out of the fashion."
*' Her friends would not participate in
the feeling for her," said Miss Beaumorice.
''And it is always colder in the country
than in London. You are not acclimatized
yet."
" You looked so comfortable, sitting on
your heels and gardening, when we came
in,'' said Margaret. " You did not look
cold."
" See how I am wrapped up, my dear.
I was dividing heartseases, and have plenty
for you if you would like some."
" Yes, I should very much," said Mary,
*'' only " glancing at her delicate French
gloves.
''Til carry them home for you, Mary,"
said Margaret, *' and plant them out for my
pains."
" Yes, do, there's a good child. The re-
ward will be in harmony with the trouble.
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 211
What shall you do with them, though,
when we get to Mrs. Garrow's ?"
'' Oh, I'll put them under the hedge."
" Somebody may carry them off."
'' I'll carry them up to the house, and
leave them by the scraper,"
" Somebody will see you — Mrs. Garrow
herself very likely."
" Mrs. Garrow will not think the worse
of her," said Miss Beaumorice, " for she is
a gardener herself She sympathizes with
other gardeners."
'' Does she ? That will not secure me
her sympathy, though, for I know nothing
of gardening."
" You have had no opportunity of learn-
ing ; but now you will find it a nice re-
source."
"And you have a gardening apron and
scissors," suggested Margaret, '' and a rake
and watering-pot."
" Yes, I shall use them all soon, I dare
14— i:
2J2 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
say, when I have a Httle time. At pre-
sent, I never have a moment. And I
shall have to begin with the very alpha-
bet."
" That is just what I should like to do,"
said Margaret, with animation. '^I know
nothing, and should like to learn some-
thing every day, if ever so little.''
" That is the way to succeed, Margaret,"
said Miss Beaumorice, '' in other things as
well as gardening. And it is a nice time
to begin — the beginning of the season."
"Miss Beaumorice, what should I do
first r
" Well, there are so many things. Gar-
deners will tell you it is the month for
planting, pruning, grafting, preparing the
ground in all sorts of ways ; but it is too
early for tender annuals or bedding plants,
which would be more in your way, — hardy
annuals you may sow if you like."
" Yes, I should like to sow some seeds
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 213
very much, if I thought they would come
up."
'' What is to hinder them ?" said Mary.
''But there is no privacy in our garden.
It is dreadfully overlooked.''
" If there were anybody to overlook,"
said Margaret, " but who is there ?"
" When the leaves come fully out/' said
Miss Beaumorice, " you will find they make
quite sufficient screen. Indeed, I have
sometimes thought the house too much
overshadowed."
" Oh, I love seclusion," said Mary. " A
boundless contiguity of shade."
" There is nothing amounting to that,
with a high-road just outside the gate."
" No, certainly. But I should like to
be, —
" ' The world forgetting, by the world forgot' "
" Oh, Mary !" said Margaret, laughing.
*' At present I cannot open the piano
214 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
without people looking in at me. When I
have a leafy screen, it won't signify."
" People will hear you play and sing, all
the same."
" Yes, but I shall not mind it, when I
don't know it."
" Oh, what a pretty house !" said Mar-
garet, looking about her as she entered.
" Mary, I wish your hall and drawing-room
were just this size."
'' Of course ; but it's no use wishing,"
said Mary, shortly ; for she was not fond
of her sister's prosaic way of viewing
things. Conversation soon flowed in a
channel more to her liking. She spoke of
the rector and his wife de limit en has, as
" the Garrows," and said she did not think
the old lady very refined. Mrs. Finch did
not seem to have two ideas beyond her
children. Luckily she and Mr. Brooke
were sufficient for each other ; for it
seemed they should have no society, ex-
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 215
oept Miss Beaumorice and the Nuneliams,
who were sweet girls ! so unsophisticated !
Lastly, and to conclude, Miss Beaumorice
undertook to send the heartseases.
CHAPTER XL
A DINNER AT THE RECTORY.
'Tis sweet, 'mid noise of plates and dishes,
To tell one's sentiments and wishes."
Boyle Farm.
HEN Miss Beaumorice next called
on Mary, she found Margaret
prostrated in a very devotee-like
posture on the carpet, with ink-bottle in
one hand and camel's hair pencil in the
other. She started up, rather red in the
face, and said, —
" Oh, dear, Miss Beaumorice ! I dare
say you wonder what I am about. This
pretty green carpet is only a tapestry
carpet, and is wearing white, you see, at
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 217
the seams ; so I asked Mary if I should
ink them over a little ; and she said I
might, if I took care not to be caught.
You have caught me, but you must not
tell tales."
Miss Beaumorice laughed, and said she
was upon honour.
" Some more cuttings and slips — Oh,
how kind ! I shall so like putting them
in. Mary," (to her sister who now came in)
" see ! Miss Beaumorice has brought these
nice slips."
" Oh, how kind !" And Mary gave her
an affectionate kiss.
" May I put them in T
"Yes, by all means." And Margaret
went off in great glee.
" Miss Beaumorice, we are going to dine
at the rectory to-morrow," said Mary.
" Not a long invitation, so I suppose it is
not to be a formal affair. Mrs. Garrow
sent me some diamond cement for the
218 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
pagoda. She seems quite a good soul ;
what some people call ' a good body/ No
need to dress much, I should think ; only
one should show self-respect/'
'* Every one respects Mrs. Garrow," said
Miss Beaumorice. "She is thoroughly
unaffected and sensible ; well informed and
right-judging in practical things ; well-con-
nected, too, of a good old county family."
"Yes, yes, I know the style of person
you mean," said Mary. " Good family and
sterling qualities make up for a certain
want of manner."
" Yet I don't call her wanting in man-
ner," said Miss Beaumorice. " She has no
fine airs, I grant."
" And would never be taken for a fine
lady. Oh, we mean the same thing. Such
a Lady Bountiful must be a treasure in a
parish, especially when she is the rector's
wife. Dr. Garrow, too, has a frank, fatherly
way with him. John says some of his
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 219
church notions are dreadfully out of date —
quite fossil remains — but he does not
trouble me with them, you know. He
said all manner of pretty and kind things
to me, and really was quite gossippy with
Margaret, so that I was afraid she would
go too far."
" Oh, there was no fear. He loves young
people.''
" Yes, only she did run on so. The fact
is, she is overjoyed at being here with us,
and it has almost the effect of laughing gas
on her."
'« Very delightful to see and to be the
cause of," said Miss Beaumorice.
" Oh, yes. We are own sisters, you
know ; it makes such a difference. I am
excessivelv fond of Maro;aret. John wanted
my first visitor to be Ms sister, but I could
not hear of that, especially as I don't think
I shall much like her, so T was very firm
about it. Margaret is a darling girl, if she
would but "
220 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
Here Mary rather suddenly stopped short,
for Margaret came in.
"I've just laid them on the borders,"
said she, " for you to tell me whether they
are in good places. Will you come and
see?"
" By all means," said Miss Beaumo-
rice, rising ; therefore Mary, who was
going to say " not just now," went
too.
*' How sweet the open air is !" said she,
as soon as they entered the garden. " We
have a double cherry, you see ; and a good
many lilacs."
" And flags and 'peonies. I am fond of
large flowers," said Margaret.
" You vulgar child !"
'' No, Mary ; they look so well against a
background of dark green leaves."
" I am sorry to see you have stag-
nant water near you," said Miss Beau-
morice.
THE LABY OF LIMITED INCOME. 221
" Dear, I rather like all that bright green
stuff on it," said Margaret.
"So do ducks. But it is not very whole-
some."
After a good deal of desultory chat. Miss
Beaumorice concluded her visit, saying she
should expect an account of the dinner-
party from them soon.
" You may rely upon that, if you are not
of the party.''
" Oh, Mrs. G arrow knows I never dine
out."
" I hope you will make an exception in
favour of me."
" And then Mrs. Garrow would ask me
to make an exception in favour of her. It
is best to adhere to good rules, unless for
some important reason. I dine early, as
many people in the country do — especially
mothers of families."
" Those are privileged persons," said
Mary, laughing ; " but as you are without
222 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
incumbrance I shall still hope we shall over-
come your objections some day. At any
rate, you must come in sometimes, and dine
at our luncheon."
" Yes, perhaps I may."
The day after Mrs. Garrow's dinner,
Mary and Margaret, true to their promise,
called on Miss Beaumorice. They looked
bright and brimful of intelligence.
" Here we are. Miss Beaumorice."
'' Ah, I felt so sure of you, that I ordered
the cloth to be laid for three, that you
might lunch at my dinner."
" Did you really ? There must have
been some mysterious sympathy between
us, for I told John to look out for a bache-
lor's lunch in case we did not return."
" Had I known you would have thus
met me half-way, I would have ordered
* covers for four/ "
"Jacintha! put down three partridges
for supper !" said Margaret, laughing.
TBE LADY OF LIMIT ED INCOME. 223
" Margaret, what do you mean V
'^ Oh, only a bit of an old story about the
Dean of Badajos."
"Well, I want to hear somethmg fresher
than that," said Miss Beaumorice.
" Oh, yes, you want to hear about the
dinner," said Mary, taking possession of
the subject with celerity. " It went off
very nicely indeed — quite a family dinner,
you know, that would have been thought
nothing of in London — but still very nice.
There actually was no fish, which I own I
was surprised at. I should have thought
Mrs. Garrow would have known it was
de regie J'
"Depend upon it she did, only she
thought it not requisite for a plain dinner."
*' Not requisite for a curate and a curate's
wife ? Was that in good taste ? Don't
you remember Dr. Johnson was hurt at a
friend's asking him to dinner, and then set-
ting him down to a leg of veal ? He said.
224 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
' Sir, it was a good dinner enough, but not
a dinner to invite a man to.' "
" Well, lie was rather touchy sometimes,
especially when not quite well. I under-
stand his feeling, however. He was a great
diner out, and fond of good eating. But
surely Mrs. Garrow did not set you down
to a leg of veal ?"
" No, no !" said Margaret, laughing ; " it
was a very nice dinner."
'' And everything cooked and served to
perfection," said Mary. "I own I envied
her there."
" So will your dinners be, I daresay,
when Mr. Brooke is a church dignitary."
" Oh, long before that, I hope. There
was most excellent white soup, quite sup-
porting, for I was very hungry ; and hashed
calf's head, and fore-quarter of lamb, stewed
pigeons, boiled fowls, a small ham, and
such excellent vegetables! Mrs. Garrow
always has her spinach boiled in three
TEE LADY OF LUIITED INC021E. 225
waters, and lastly in milk, so that it is not
the least strong. She said that was the
way the French ex-royal family have it."
" And then the sweets were very nice,"
chimed in Margaret. " Compote of apples,
delicious, Miss Beaumorice ! I wish I had
the recipe for mamma. I think I'll ask
Mrs. "
" Margaret ! pray don't !"
" Well, Doctor Garrow, then ! I'm sure
he wouldn't mind."
"You really must not. I shall be afraid
of taking you out again if you do such
things. He would think you had never
eaten a stewed apple before in your life."
" Ah, this wasn't a common stew," said
Margaret, softly.
Miss Beaumorice was amused, and re-
peated with mock sentiment —
" ' There was a star — 'twas not a common star,
For it was red — and shed a purple ray-
That looked Kke — amber.' "
VOL. I. 15
226 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
" Who made those nonsense-verses ?" said
Mary, laughing.
" That is more than I can tell you —
perhaps the gentleman who repeated them
to me. Well, but you have not told
me
" The rest of the sweets/' pursued Mar-
garet. "There was a curd star, wdth a
whip "
" First, a ratafia pudding," said Mary,
without attending to her ; "a spring tart,
almond cheesecakes, ramakins ''
"And the star."
" And the star."
"Well, and a very nice dinner," said
Miss Beaumorice; "but now I want to
know who was there to eat it."
" We sat down ten. Dr. and Mrs. Gar-
row, and ourselves, ^Ye ; their married
daughter, Mrs. Bligh, and her husband,
seven; a Mr. and Mrs. Thorne, and a
nephew of Dr. Garrow's."
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 227
"Ah, he has been very kind to that
nephew, and sent him to college. Mr.
Thorne is an old Cambridge chum of the
doctor s, Mr. Bligh is a chaplain to one of
our great charities."
" They all seemed of the same clique.
John was hardly au courant among them
at first, they had so many subjects in com-
mon, so many jokes and allusions famihar
to one another ; but Dr. Garrow tried to
draw him in among them, too, and young
Garrow fraternized with him pleasantly
enough, only one was Oxford and the other
Cambridge, you know. Dr. Garrow took
me in, of course, and was very chatty and
pleasant.''
" And who took you in, Margaret ?"
" Oh, Mr. Garrow ; and he was very nice,
too, only I could not always be quite sure
he was not making fun of me. He asked
me the names of the books I had read, and
asked me if I had read a great many that
15—2
228 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME,
I had not. He said he liked novels im-
mensely."
"I don't like Mrs. Bligh/' said Mary.
'' Do you r
" I have never seen her."
" She is large and not exactly good-
looking, with very sharp eyes, and a sharp
nose, and a sharp voice. I don't like sharp
people. She listens to what you say as if
she were ridiculing you."
" That is not at all like her mother."
'* Oh, no ; Mrs. Garrow seems as if she
really took interest in me, and wished me
to be fond of Longfield ; and she talked to
me a great deal about the parish, as if she
supposed I should like to be useful in it.
We had music in the evening. They asked
me to sing, so I did, of course ; and then
Mrs. Tliorne did, but she broke down.
Mr3. Bligh played, but did not sing. Dr.
Garrow asked me for sacred music, which,
you know, is not my style ; however, Mar-
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 229
garet and I sang ' Qual anelante/ And
then he asked for something English, and
I sang, ^ Peace be around thee/ which is
next to sacred, I think. And then John
sang ' Three Fishers.' "
" Well, I think you had a nice little
concert. It must have been a pleasant
evening.''
"Yes, very. And now I shall begin to
plan a little dinner in return."
" Oh, they will not expect it."
" Oh, but I shall have one whether they
expect it or not. I shall have jish. Of
course not white soup. I suppose I can-
not have green peas. I must have gravy
soup."
" How many will your room dine ? Not
ten surely ?"
*' No, only eight, I'm afraid ; and even
that wiU be a squeeze."
" Oh, surely fish will be enough without
soup."
230 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
" Well, we shall see. And then — it is a
pity Mrs. Garrow has forestalled me in
many things, because I cannot have them
asrain — it would seem like imitation. A
haunch of mutton, suppose ? and boiled
fowls ?"
'' Yes, that would do nicely."
" And a tongue and curried rabbit. New
potatoes, broccoli, and sea-kale. What a
stupid place Longfield is, to have no shop
like Crosse and Blackwell's, where one can
get bottled and preserved fruits of all sorts,
and vanille and Presburg biscuits, and "
" Plover's eggs, and roes eggs,^ said Mar-
garet, laughing.
" Don't be childish when I am talking
seriously."
" I wonder when I shall be considered a
woman grown," said Margaret, in an under
tone. " I've done growing a long while."
" When you have a woman's sense of
your own deficiencies."
THE LADY OF LUIITED ISCOME. 231
"Are women always sensible of
item T
" Yes, to be sure. What think you of
an orange pudding, Miss Beaumorice 1 and
a rhubarb tart 1"
" You mtist not have acids and sub-acids
exclusively, for poor Dr. Gai-row."
" Oh, I suppose I must have a nursery
pudding for him. Sweet maccaroni, suppose ;
orange°sponge in one glass dish, blanc-
mange in another, or else custard.^ That
will be a nice little dinner, I think."
" You must mind to have it on a fish day,
if you are to have fish. We only are sup-
plied twice a week."
"So I find. What a stupid place!
And perhaps that was why Mrs. Garrow
had none. No doubt it was. I shall tell
mamma to send me down some. That wiU
be the best way."
" If you don't mind the expense."
" Oh, one must not mind that for one's
232 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
first party. If I did, it would always be
remembered against me."
" Not against you, I think.''
" Oh yes, it would. John would always
remember it. And the Garrows would,
and I should. I shall ask mamma ; and I
dare say she will pay the carriage."
".Yes, I dare say she will, and she can
send some of the other things too, you
know, Mary," said Margaret. " The tongue
and the fowls."
" Yes, that would not be a bad plan, I
think," said Mary, with less confidence,
however, than Margaret. " A tin of con-
centrated soup, perhaps, that would only
require warming, though Hannah is a pro-
fessed cook. John is fond of talking
about
* Herbs and such like country messes,
Wliich.neat-lianded Phyllis dresses,'
but he likes good cookery for all that.''
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 23;$
"Who does not?" said Miss Beau-
morice.
" And, dear Miss Beaumorice, you must
come to tMs party, please."
" No, thank you. I have cogent reason
for never going to parties. I shall prefer
coming to you when you are alone.''
" What an obstinate person you are 1
Well then, who shall we have ? Dr. and
Mrs. Garrow, two ; Mr. and Miss Nuneham,
four ; ourselves, seven — the eighth ought
to be a gTeat card."
*' Perhaps there is some one John would
like to ask," suggested Margaret.
'' Well, — yes. 1 will tell him he must
find somebody very bright and entertain-
ing."
" Mr. Cramp ton, perhaps — "
" Oh, he would never do us the honour."
" Mr. Neate— "
" He would not come so far. Besides,
he talks for effect so. He requires his ac-
234 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
customed listeners. And perhaps Dr. Gar-
row might not like him."
" No ; perhaps not."
'' We must leave it to John — reserving
the privilege of objecting."
" It will be great fun — only a tremen-
dous responsibility. I'm glad it devolves
on you, Mary," said Margaret.
" Yes, I dare say you are. I shall have
all the trouble, and you will have all the
treat.''
" Oh, not all. And it is what you used
to have before you married."
" I beg your pardon. I always took a
great deal off mamma's shoulders."
Thus they rambled on, till it was time to
ramble home. Miss Beaumorice walked
with them part of the way, taking them a
short cut through some pretty fields. Just
as they re-entered the high road, they en-
countered Mr. Brooke, who was coming
to join them, and they were all very
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 235
glad they had not missed one another
owing to their diverging into "Byepath
Meadow."
CHAPTEE XII.
BEHIND THE SCENES.
■ How few think justly of tlie thinking few !
How many never think who think they do !"
Jane Tayloe-
;K. GAEEOW'S carriage stood be-
fore the tall iron gate, and Mrs.
Bligh in the drawing - room,
ready dressed to step into it, was dipping
into a book when she was joined by her
mother.
"My dear Jane," said Mrs. Garrow, who
held a note in her hand, " here is a bit of* a
surprise. Mrs. Brooke has invited your
father and me to dinner."
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 237
'' What ! in that little room T cried Mrs.
Bligh.
" She cannot help that. It will only be
■ourselves, of course."
" Does she say so, mamma ?"
" Well, no ; but she is limited for space,
you know."
'' I should think so/' said Mrs. Bligh,
smiling a little, " but perhaps she does
not."
'' Oh, she must, my dear."
'^ Depend on it, mamma, she is going to
have a party."
" How can she ? It would be quite im-
possible — and unreasonable, at any rate."
*' Rely on it, she does not think it so.
She is just the kind of person."
" Well, I give her credit for more sense.
Where's your papa ?"
" Here I am," said Dr. Garrow, coming
in, drawing on his gloves. *^ My dear, we
must start, or Jane will lose her train."
238 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
" I am quite ready, luy dear," said
Mrs. Garrow, '^and we can talk by the
way."
" Is there anything particular to talk
about T
" Yes ; Mrs. Brooke has asked us to
dinner."
" Well, I shall be very happy to go, if I
am disengaged. I can't go to-morrow."
*' Oh, no ! it is for next Tuesday."
" Quite a long invitation," said he, laugh-
ing, as he put his wife and daughter into
the carriage and then followed them.
" Yes, and that makes it clear, papa,
she is going to give a party," said Mrs.
Bligh.
"Oh, that is hardly likely, I should
think. Curates' wives don't usually think
it necessary."
" Nor seemly."
" The necessity of the case generally
settles the question. I dare say she has
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 2:-J!>
been accustomed to liberal housekeeping
and tbinks sbe is only doing what is ex-
pected of her/' said Mrs. Garrow.
" And you set her the example, remem-
ber/' said Dr. Garrow.
" My dear, mine was only common
friendliness — common hospitality. Only a
family dinner ; not even fish."
" Ah ! you will have fish on Tuesday,
depend on it," said Mrs. BHgh, merrily.
" My dear, I hope not. If I thought so,
I would drop in on the young creature and
tell her that if we came she must make no
difference."
" You would affront her outright. I
don't believe she is so young as you
think."
" Oh, she's not more than twenty or
twenty one," said Dr. Garrow, '^ I believe
she's of age. Brought up in a large family.
My dear, you had better not tell her
that ; no doubt she knows what is proper.
240 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
She means to reciprocate a friendly atten-
tion, that's all : I'm pleased with it. I
shall like to see that nice girl again."
" Yes, yes, I dare say she knows what
is right," said Mrs. Garrow. " She has a
mother, you know. Only a step-mother,
though, I believe."
" Which makes a good deal of difference
sometimes, mamma."
" Not always, though. Very likely we
shall meet her father and mother, and that
will be all, unless Miss Beaumorice. Yes,
yes, that will be it."
" I shall rely on your sending me full
particulars of the carte, and the company,
mamma. Depend on it, there will be a
squeeze."
" Nonsense ; there will be no such thing.
I've a better opinion of her. You are a
little hard on her. A little inexperience
she may very likely have — we can make
allowance for that."
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 241
'' And a few painful experiences will do
her good ; I'm sure they will."
" Ah, well, Jane, you were inexperienced
enough yourself, when you married, about
some things. I remember "
" Oh, for pity's sake," said Mrs. Bligh,
holding up her hands in laughing protest,
" don^t enumerate all my old short-comings
and delinquencies.''
"Yes, I shall, if you are unmerciful to
poor, little, pretty Mrs. Brooke. I shall
think you belong to the tribe of Sanballat
the Horonite, if you mock her so. For my
part, I always pity yoimg things in difficul-
ties, and if I see her in any I shall do my
best to set her straight — as I set you, my
dear, in your time."
" That you did, mamma," said Mrs.
Bligh, kissing her heartily as she stepped
out of the carriage. The train had just
come up, so there was no time to lose ; but
VOL. I. 16
242 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
she added, in an under-tone, " mind you
send me full particulars."
From this time everything had reference,
direct or indirect, to the dinner party.
Everybody accepted, with exception of Mr.
Brooke's " man," who neither said yes nor
no. M8.ry and Margaret were constantly
on the qui vive, preparing or bespeaking
one thing or another : and so many appeals
were made by letter to Mrs. Beaufort, that
she lost patience and said to her husband
it would be a. bad precedent if Mary
looked to them for everything, every time
she gave a little dinner. Mr. Beaufort
took it more easily, and bade her not dis-
turb herself — he would send fish and any
little thing that Mary wanted for her first
party.
So the fish was duly sent — a fine turbot,
much larger than Mary had bespoken ;
because it happened to be a cheap fish day ;
and Mr. Beaufort took credit to himself for
THE LADY OF LUilTED IXCOME. 243
sending her so handsome a turbot, and a
fine lobster included ; crowning his kind-
ness by making the fish a present.
Over to Miss Beaumorice came Margaret
with a mixture of pleasure and perplexity
in her face, to ask her if she could lend
Mary a large fish kettle. '^ For papa has
sent her such a splendid turbot that her
kettle won't hold it ; and I've brought a
piece of string, the exact length of hers, to
see if yours is any longer ; and the length
of the turbot too."
Miss Beaumorice's kettle would just hold
the turbot : and she eno-ao^ed to send it
over in the baker's cart.
" And oh. Miss Beaumorice, you were
good enough to say something about rasp-
berry jam. Would you be so very good as
to give Mary a pot ? The orange sponge
has proved a failure ; and she thinks if she
whips up some cream with raspberry jam,
it will do for the other glass dish. How
16—2
244 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
glad I shall be when it is all over ! At first
I thought it would be all pleasure ; but
there are so many little anxieties ! And
cook is out of temper to-day, so that we
are afraid of upsetting her by the least
word. Mary says it is very trying for two
mistresses to be in one house, and she is
determined cook shall not be her mistress,
when once this dinner is over. On the
whole, I think people who live in little
houses should limit their guests to two or
three. Mary says she thinks she shall after
this time. I'm sure I can't think what the
dinner will cost — it will swell her bills
dreadfully. Mary is going to wear her
stone-colour dress : she says that is
quite dress enough for home. And I am
to be in white, with a blue waist-band.
If the rooms do not get too hot, I fancy
it will be rather pleasant. I do wish
you were coming, then I hioiv it would
be."
TEE LADY OF LIMITED IXC 021 E. 245
" You must come and tell me all about
it afterwards."
" Oil, I certainly will. Even if one plans
a little entertainment ever so carefully, how
difficult it is to provide against little unfore-
seen misfortunes ; and how difficult not to
be too much vexed at them !"
CHAPTER XIII.
HERE A LITTLE, AND THERE A LITTLE.
" To know
That which before us lies in daily life
Is the prime wisdom."
Milton. Paradise Lost.
^^^HE day after the party, Margaret
^71 ^^ failed not to make her appear-
^^^srs^ ance. Miss Beaumorice saw at
once by her face that all had not gone on
well.
*' Maiy is so sorry she cannot corae, Miss
Beaumorice I" she began. " She is very
poorly indeed to-day, so that she really is
not equal to it."
" How sorry I am ! Has she caught cold V^
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 247
'' I think she has, but she also has had a
great deal of ^vony. Oh, Miss Beaumorice !
that unfortunate turbot ! Papa meant it so
kindly, but it was such a pity he sent it.
Cook spoilt it completely, and then laid the
fault on the fish-kettle, and the fire, and on
everything but her own carelessness ; and,
when Mary spoke to her about it, (after
everybody was gone, you know) she was
dreadfully abusive, quite insulting, and
said she never knew such a house, it was
impossible to serve up a good dinner in it,
for every requisite was wanting that a good
cook was used to. And so she went on
from one thing to another till Mary was
quite angry ; and John was angry too, and
desired cook to leave the room. She said
she would leave the house too, if he liked,
and so he said he thought she had better ;
and she has gone away this morning, abu-
sive to the last ; so that poor Mary has
been quite upset, and could not help crying
248 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
a little. And John is vexed too ; but he
went out, directly after he had paid cook's
wages, and seen her leave the house. You
may conceive what a state we are in."
" Well, Margaret, I am very sorry indeed
for it, but very likely things will now take
a turn for the better, and you will find
yourselves much more comfortable than
you have been yet."
" Do you really think so ?" said Mar-
garet, anxiously. " Oh, I shall be so very
glad if it proves so ! — for all our sakes. It
was such a sad thing, you know, for poor
Mary and John to be in such a strait when
they are scarcely out of their honeymoon.
As Mary says, it rubs off all the romance so
completely."
" I rather hope the romance is now to
begin. You cannot say, my dear girl, there
has been any real romance yet. I thought
there was going to be some attempt at it
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 249
when I was shown the straw bonnet and
the visiting basket and the gardening
apron ; but you know, all the characteristic
pleasures and duties of a young clergyman's
wife have been set aside for dinner-parties,
and mornino^ visits, and so forth, which
really have not an atom of romance in
them."
" Why, no," said Margaret, slowly ;
" only people must do what other people
do."
" But, supposing that to be the rule,
people do not give expensive dinners in
ihis place. They cannot afford it ; they
are not used to it ; and they do not desire
it. Knowing them as well as I do, I think
I have ground for saying that if Mary gets
into the way of givbag expensive little
dinners, they will esteem her less, rather
than more for it."
" Oh ! do you ? Mary had a notion
250 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
that, if she had but money for it, no-
thing would be more certain to make her
popular than giving charming little din-
ners."
" No, that is not the road to popularity
in a little place like this. Consider
whether Mary would be more popular
with Mrs. Finch, for instance, by having
turbot v/hen Mrs. Finch could only have
soles. People are not fond of being out-
done or outshone ; it requires a little mag-
nanimity even to bear being so. People
here, generally speaking, have no wealth ;
those who possess it make no show ; they
prefer living on equal terms with their
neighbours ; and spending their surplus on
nobler things than recherche dinners. They
give generously, but unostentatiously, to
the poor, to public charities, and to poor
relations. In time of some great public
distress — a potato famine, a cotton famine,
a terrible fire, or shipwreck for instance.
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 251
people who make no show come down
with much larger sums than you would
think."
" That is very nice," said Margaret, her
brown eyes kindling ; " it is really noble.
I should like that sort of thing myself if I
were rich enough/'
" Which nobody would be if they spent
up to the extent of their means on their
tables,'' said Miss Beaumorice.
" Dr. Garrow "
*' Dr. Grarrow lives in liberal style, it is
true, but not nearly up to his income. He
not only has a good living, but a good for-
tune of his own ; he has his greenhouse
and forcing-house ; his carriage and fine
horses ; but he spends at least as much
again, I should say, on the poor and needy.
Mrs. Garrow has her dairy, her aviary, but
she makes nourishing dishes for the old
and the sickly, superintends the schools,
regularly visits the infirmary, trains young
252 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME,
girls in her kitchen, sends large bales of
cast-off clothing to the Free Hospital ; and
doubtless does many things of the same
kind that her neighbours do not so much
as guess at."
" That is just what I should like to do
when I grow old/' said Margaret, thought-
fully.
"To do it when you are old, you must
begin when you are young ; Mrs. Garrow
did, I can assure you. She was one of a
numerous family ; her mother was a stir-
ring woman, who made her and her sisters
cut out and place all the family linen, and
do a good deal of the sewing and stitching
too. She used to make soups and jellies
and nursery puddings with her own hands,
and carry them herself, at her mother's
desire, to the sick. She used to read the
Bible to them in their cottages, long before
home missionaries and Scripture readers
were invented."
THE LADY OF LIMITED IS COME. 253
*' Perhaps she rather despised Mary's
dinner, after all/' said Margaret.
"It is not her habit to despise ; but I
think she would have liked the dinner
quite as well, perhaps better, if it had not
given anything like as much expense and
trouble. But we must all buy our experi-
ence, Margaret. That which has given us
most pain is sometimes the cause of most
good."
" I think I shall try to become as good a
housekeeper as ever I can," said Margaret.
" At home, I have not many — I may say
ani) opportunities — for mamma does not
like us to go into the kitchen. But while
I am with Mary, I shall like to help her in
everything she will let me."
" That will be an excellent plan. Be
careful not to be officious."
'' Oh, she would not like that ! I must
only be at her orders. Only, if I get into
the way of doing things very well, she will
254 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
perhaps like it, because it will save her
trouble. I think I must go now, for she
told me not to stay long ; but she wanted
you to know why she could not come out
this morning, and she thought perhaps you
would find her another servant."
" I will bear her wish in mind," said
Miss Beaumorice. '*' In the meanwhile I
think you will find Susan a handy girl.
She was general servant to Mrs. Caryl,
who is a very good mistress, and I was
told she could cook very nicely."
" She says herself that she does not
mind cooking, if Mary will but be satisfied
with her," said Margaret.
" Then why should not Mary be satisfied
with her ?"
" Oh ! she does not much like having
only one servant."
" She might have Susan's younger bro-
ther, a very nice lad, to go of errands and
clean knives and shoes."
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 255
" That would be a very good plan, I
think," said Margaret, '' if Mary did but
think so too. We have a page at home,
only he's always in mischief."
'•' Ah ! boys will be boys ; but boys are
not all alike. James is a very good boy,
and Susan is very fond of him. She will
work twice as zealously for the pleasure of
his company. And now, since you must
go, I will walk with you and see how poor
Mary is."
Mary proved to be " as well as could be
expected," that is to say, after ha^dng got
over her worry and got rid of her cook, and
found an amusing magazine to read, she
cast household cares to the wind, told
Susan she had now a fine opportunity of
showing how nice a dinner she could pro-
vide all by herself; and then settled her-
self on the little couch to enjoy her maga-
zine. So that a pretty little pink and
white shawl-handkerchief of Shetland wool
256 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
flung over her slioulders, and the back
of her head, was the only sign or signal
of her having anything the matter with
her.
" Dear Miss Beaumorice, how kind !"
she cried, starting up. " Of all persons
in the world, I would soonest see you
at this moment — indeed I told Susan to
deny me to visitors — Margaret, I think
Susan may want you in the kitchen — ^go
to her, there's a good girl, as soon as you
can, and see if you can do anything."
Margaret nodded, and ran off.
"And now," said Mary, drawing Miss
Beaumorice to her side on the couch, " we
shall have a nice talk. I suppose Mar-
garet told you how miserably the dinner
went off?"
" She gave me very few details, except
that the fish was spoilt."
" Oh, all the better 1" — with a relieved
look. " IVe done the handsome thing
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 257
now, and don't think I shall take the trou-
ble again for a good while. It was expen-
sive, too, of course, for the fowls cost more
than I expected. The soup was burnt.
That was cook's fault, of course — I should
not have minded if the smell had not be-
trayed itself directly. John sent it away
immediately. The fish was a dreadful
blow to me ; but I think I could have
carried if off better if everybody had made
believe not to see it (as well-bred people
surely would have done). Instead of
which, the Garrows expressed their pity
for me just as if I had been a daughter of
their own, and Mrs. Grarrow said ' my dear,
why should you have had fish for us ? I
had none when you came to me, and I
thought you would have followed the lead,
especially as there is so little fish to be had
here.' So I said, 'oh, papa sent it from
town ;' but I had not meant to name that,
you know/'
VOL. I. 17
258 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
Mary heaved a profound sigh, and then
went on.
" Mr. Neate never came, and it was a
good thing he did not, for he is dreadfully
particular. To fill his vacant place, John
asked Mr. Finch just at last, whom there
was no occasion to ask at all, for he does
not attend us. However, he and Mr.
Nuneham got on together, and Mr. Nune-
ham was very pleasant. After dinner, I
was quite thankful to get into the draw-
ing-room, for the dining-room was dread-
fully close, and too small for so many
talkers. Then Mrs. Garrow settled down
into what mamma would have called a
regular confab, and kept my-dearing me,
as if I were just out of the nursery. She
seemed quite in her element, telling me
what to do and what not to do ; the sum
total of which seemed to be, to spend as
little as possible on my dinners, and to
make soup for the poor. Had I foreseen
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 259
cook would give warning an hour after, she
might have been really of use to me, by
telling me of a good servant to supply her
place."
" I am sure she would ; but do you
know, my dear Mary, I have thought of a
little plan, which if you approve it, may
conduce much to vour comfort."
" Oh, do, please ! I am quite at sea."
" If you are not bent on a professed
cook "
" Not at all ; I can't bear one. The
woman who has just left me was a cheat, I
am persuaded ; at any rate a humbug."
" If you give Susan fair play, you will
very likely find she suits you much bet-
ter."
" Yes ; but then, it is so awkward to
have only one servant in the house."
" Susan has a nice young brother — a
well-grown lad about eleven — who keeps
his hands clean, and tells the truth, and is
17—2
260 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
quick in going of errands, and always civil,
and who would be a nice little page."
" Well, that seems a good idea," said
Mary, brightening, " if he and Susan would
agree, and if Susan would do all that he
could not."
" She certainly would ; because she
would even fill a single-handed place, and
they are too fond of one another to dis-
agree, and thoroughly respectable."
" I've heard it is a bad plan to take two
out of one family."
" Oh, no, not if you choose them well.
I have done so again and again, and it has
always answered."
" Then I think I certainly will try it
now," said Mary, brightly. " John " (to
her husband, who looked in inquiringly to
see if he might be admitted), " I'm going
to turn over a new leaf Miss Beau-
morice has thought of a charming plan
for us."
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 2CL
" I'm most Kappy to hear it," said Mr.
Brooke, coming in and shaking hands with
her heartily.
" Miss Beaumorice thinks that instead
of taking another professed cook, we
might have a nice little page."
*^ Professed cooks are professed nui-
sances, I think," said he ; '' but are not boys
almost as bad ? Do they not break things,
and forget things, and eat enormously ?
The only one I ever had experience of used
continually to say, ' Please sir, my boots is
quite wore out.' "
^^ Oh, we must hope for better luck this
time," said Miss Beaumorice.
" And even boots," said Mary, " are no
worse than the quantities of things cook
used always to be asking for, — butter for
this, and wine for that, and half a
pound of beef for every httle drop of
gravy."
" Well, we can but try," said Mr.
262 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
Brooke. " I'm quite agreeable if you are.
Anything for a quiet life — even a whist-
ling boy."
" Oh, if he whistles he must be told to
leave off. And Miss Beaumorice thinks
she knows of a boy that will just do."
" What wages is he to have ?"
"I have no idea/' said Miss Beaumorice;
*' two shillings a week, perhaps."
" That seems very little," said Mary.
"I think he might have ^yq pounds a
year."
" That would be one and elevenpence a
week," said Miss Beaumorice, whereat
they all laughed. Seeing Mary now in
such excellent spirits, she said, —
''We must not reckon our chickens
before they are hatched. I will go and
ask Mrs. Caryl what she thinks of the boy
before Susan's expectations are raised, or
she might be disappointed."
"Yes, do," said Mary; ''it is very hard
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 263
on you, though, after such a long walk ;
but I feel quite done up to-day."
*' Oh, I don't mmd it." And soon she
Avas cheerfully on her way, Mr. Brooke
accompanying her to the gate.
" You have done Mary a world of good,"
said he, heartily. " I was really taken
quite aback this rooming to see her cut up
so."
'' Oh, she will soon get on famously, I
dare say. Everything is troublesome at
first."
Arrived at Mrs. Caryl's, Miss Beau-
morice immediately saw it was not a good
day with the poor lady. She was sitting
over the fire in a shawl, looking worn and
harrassed. Her ancle had given way that
morning and she had had a severe fall, and
instead of any compassionate person step-
ping forward to help her up and comfoi-t
her, no one was in sight but a brutal carter
driving a dray, who burst out laughing at
264 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
her. She was wounded at the indignity,
and limped home as well as she could,
leaving some errands unfulfilled which she
wanted to execute ; and on reaching home
and doing her best to solace herself with a
cup of beef-tea and the newspaper, her
enjoyment of the first was spoiled by the
last, wherein was a critique on one of her
little books, which was called slip-slop,
and not even faithful in its historical
details, as every child who had read
a common history of England might
know.
" It is altogether a false aspersion," said
she, indignantly, after she had narrated her
woes to Miss Beaumorice. " I can give
chapter and verse for every one of my de-
tails — not out of a common child's history,
certainly — but Sharon Turner's."
" Which the reviewer probably did not
refer to," said Miss Beaumorice. '' Do
show the passage to me, if not troubling
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 265
you too much. I should like to see
it."
" Oh, it's no trouble," said Mrs. Caryl,
brightening a little, and bestirring herself,
though rather painfully, for the book. " I
always take such pains to be correct, and
then to be accused of incorrectness I I've
a good mind to wiite to the editor about
it."
" But possibly he will not take it up,"
said Miss Beaumorice. " People are never
very fond of being obhged to confess they
made a false allegation. Yes," said she,
decidedly, after carefully collating the his-
tory with the little story in question, '* it
is clearly a false accusation, and though I
think it by no means worth your taking
up, yet, if you will allow me, I will
write with great pleasure to the editor,
and place the matter temperately before
him."
" Will you ? That is very kind I" said
266 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
Mrs. Caryl gladly. " I have done as much
for a friend, myself; but never had a
friend who offered to do so for me."
" I will write at once," said Miss Beau-
morice, '^ under your own eye, and mth the
books to refer to ; then I need not take
them home."
And soon her goodnatured pen was about
to fly over the paper, when Mrs. Caryl ar-
rested it, saying, " After all, nothing is so
unpleasing as self-assertion, to say nothing
of its generally being useless. So, with
your leave, my dear, kind friend, we will
trouble ourselves no more about it. Your
sympathy has done me a world of good,
and made me see the thing in less exagge-
rated proportions. Who will care about
it one way or the other ? I must have a
very poor position and character if I cannot
live it down."
" But now, about your fall, — have you
seriously sprained yourself ?"
THE LADY OF LIMITED IXC02IE. 267
" No, I hope not ; only I'm a good deal
shaken. It was the brutal laugh of that
carman that chiefly upset me. In fact I
have been nervous lately from having rather
overwritten myself; but it was to fulfil an
engagement, to keep a promise, so that it
was a matter of conscience. I have com-
pleted the task, I am happy to say, it
is in the Row by this time ; and now
' I may walk or I may run,' like Ariel,
if I will ; only you see I cannot run very
far."
And she laughed cheerfully.
" I want to ask you about a little boy,"
said Miss Beaumorice. " Has not Susan
Williams a nice little brother ?"
" Yes, a very good Httle fellow, in whom
I am much interested. I wish I knew what
to do with him."
"Do you think he would suit Mrs.
Brooke as a handy boy to be in the house,
answer the door, clean knives and boots,
268 THE LADY OF LIMITED I 2s COME.
work in the garden, go on errands, wait at
table, and be generally useful under his
sister T
" The very thing for him !" said Mrs.
Caryl with animation. *'Just such a
place as he is fit for ! If he is placed
under Susan she will train him thoroughly.
How could you think of such a nice
place for him ? I am so much obliged to
you !"
'' You think him thoroughly trustworthy,
then?"
' ' Thoroughly — thoroughly. "
" Would ^NQ pounds a year and his board
and livery be enough T
'^ Oh, ample, ample to begin with. He
is very decently clothed already ; and if he
wants a few more handkerchiefs and socks
I will thankfully supply them. How
pleased his poor mother would have been
to know there was a chance of his being in
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 269
service in the same family with his sister,
who has always been like a second mother
to him !"
Talking of this good, humble family, and
dwelling in the prospect now opening on
them had a wonderful effect in dispelling
poor Mrs. Caryl's nervous depression. It
exemplified what Florence Nightingale says
in her "Notes on Nursing," — that '' a sick
person does so enjoy hearing good news.
.... A sick person also intensely enjoys
hearing of any material good ; any positive
or practical success of the right
Tell him of one benevolent act which has
really succeeded practically ; it is like a
day's health to him."
Miss Beaumorice had not indeed posi-
tively succeeded in securing James the
place, but she was getting everything in
train, and actually did succeed in it before
the day was out, thereby contriving quite
270 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
a bright finale to her day's work. Having
reported his character to Mary, she received
authority to engage him as soon as she
could. At that moment he was doing
rough work for a small tradesman in Lambs-
croft. Susan was delighted when she
learnt that Jem was to be under her train-
ing, and to sleep in the loft. She promised
to do her best to make him a very useful,
well-behaved boy, and evidently thought
him a first-rate exchange for the professed
cook, who had always been depreciating
country service.
When Miss Beaumorice reached home,
she lost no time in sending Jessy for Jem,
who came at a w^ord, and beamed with
smiles on hearing of the promotion in store
for him. Miss Beaumorice did not lecture
him on his duties, but she clearly explained
to him what they were, and told him how
pleased Susan was at the thought of having
THE LADY OF LIMITED 11^' COME. 271
him for her daily companion. He went
^way holding his head an inch higher than
usual, with a smile nearly extending from
ear to ear, and an impressive sense of the
briUiant career opening before him.
CHAPTEE XIV.
PETTY CONFIDENCES.
■ When sanguine youth the plan of life surveys,
It does not calculate on rainy clays."
FEW days afterwards Margaret
called rather early, saying wist-
fully as she entered,
'* I hope I don't intrude T
" How can such a thing possibly enter
your head ?" said Miss Beaumorice. " You
never intrude. T am always glad to see
you, come when you will."
" That's so nice," said Margaret, gladly,
" I found myself rather de trop at home
this morning, and that made me fear I
might be so here."
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 273
" I'm not a young married couple," said
Miss Beaumorice, laughing, " only a single
lady, with plenty of leisure. Mary and Mr.
Brooke may have many things to talk over
together now and then, which they can do
best without a third person."
'' Yes, that's just it," said Margaret,
" Only it never occurred to me at first.
But lately Mary has two or three times
given me little hints that my room would
be preferable to my company, which I fear
I was too stupid to take as quickly as I
might. It was a pity, wasn't it ? It is so
disagreeable to be in the way :"
" Yery ; but my dear girl, I don't sup-
pose you were much so ; and whenever
you even fancy you are, you have only to
come over here — you will always be wel-
come."
*' Thank you, thank you, dear Miss
Beaumorice ; I certainly will, since you are
so kind. Somehow I always reckon on
VOL. I. 18
274 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
your kindness as if it were part of yourself,
and never fear being in your way, though
that is rather presuming, is it not ?"
" Not at all ; you know I am an old
friend, and that I love you. Well, how
does Jem get on ?"
'^ Oh, capitally. What a nice boy he is !
He makes us laugh so sometimes. He and
Susan go on in such a funny way together.
Susan keeps quite the upper hand, but he
minds her very well. John has had him
fitted with a suit that he will soon grow
out of, but at present he is very spruce in
it. Susan gets through the work so well
that Mary finds she need hardly look after
her at all ; or if she wants a little help, I
am sent to afford it, so that Mary says
just what you said to me the other day,
that the romance of her life is now begin-
ning. For she goes out with John to take
long walks to distant cottages, and comes
back quite fresh."
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 275
" I am glad of that. And what do you
do meanwhile ?"
" Oh, sometunes I read a novel, and some-
times I go into the kitchen and get Susan
to teach me how to cook. The first day
she let me make an Oswego pudding all by
myself, only standing by and telling me
what to do ; and when Mary said ' This is
the nicest j)^^dding we have had yet/ it
was such fun to say, ' I made it !' At first
she really would not believe it. And ever
since that John says, ' Well, Margaret, is
this another of your wonderful puddings V
and sometimes I say ' Yes,' sometimes ' No,'
and sometimes I will not tell him whether
or no."
'^ Well, you have found a new source of
happiness and usefulness. I shall be quite
interested in the history of your pud-
dings.''
" I shall not have time to make many
more, for my month is nearly up. I do
18—2
276 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
wish Mary would ask me to stay a little
longer. I would take great care not to be
de trop^
" Perhaps she will."
• '• I don't think it, because she has named
several little things that she means to do
after I am gone. She will have another
visitor, I think John's sister ; but she does
not seem to want her much. If she would
have me a little longer that would keep
Miss Brooke away."
'' But perhaps Mr. Brooke is as fond of
his sister as Mary is of you. It will not
do, you know, for her to be selfish, now
that she has his happiness to consider as
well as her own."
" No, to be sure — I did not think of that ;
only I can't help wishing."
" I dare say Maiy will have you with
her again in the course of the summer,
especially as you are so useful."
" I do hope she will ! I like being here
THE LADY OF LIMITED ISCOME. 277
SO much ! Country life is much the hap-
piest, I think. It is easiest to be good
here. People seem to have so many
pleasant little duties here that they never
think of in town. Mrs. Garrow wishes
Mary to visit the poor, and the schools,
and to have a Sunday school class. Mary.
has promised, bat I don't think she much
likes it. Mrs. Garrow is going to take
her round to the cottasfes with her some
morning, and let her see how she gets on
vdth the poor people.''
"That is very kind of her."
" Yes, very. Miss Nuneham has a class,
has she not ? and is a district visitor. She
finds time for it, and yet she has a gi-eat
deal more to do at home than Mary has, so
I think Mary might manage it."
" Perhaps she will in time. People can't
do everything at once."
" No, and Mary has never been used to
this sort of thing. Nor have I, but I
£78 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
think I should take to it more than she
will."
" We shall see. I was going to call on
the Misses Nuneham this morning. Will
you like to go with me V
" Oh, so much ! How pleasant it must
be for you to call on people just when you
like, and to see just as much or as little of
them as you like !"
"I cannot quite do that."
" But you can go out or stay at home
when you like, get up and go to bed when
you like, dress as you like, dine when you
like, and order just what you like."
" Yes, I can do pretty nearly all that,"
said Miss Beaumorice, laughing, '' though
it does not go a great way towards making
up my sum of happiness."
" Oh, I think it must ! If you could not
do what you liked in any one of those
things, I think it would make a great
difference to you."
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 279
"Yes, I suppose it would. You show
me that I ought to be more thankful for
small blessings. I am thankful for them
already, but not enough. Perhaps I am in
the habit of considering some of them
smaller than they are."
"Don't you feel dull sometimes in the
evenings ?"
"No," said Miss Beaumorice, laughing,
" I cannot say that I do."
"How nice ! I am afraid I should.
How is it that you do not ?"
" 0," said she, still laughing, " I suppose
it is because I have so many resources. I
am very fond of reading, and I am fond of
writing, and I am fond of working, for
other people as well as myself There is
always something to be done, so that I
really have not leisure to think of being
dull."
" I think your life must be very happy !"
" Well, it is ; though I have my little
280 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
rubs, of course, occasionally. Now I will
get ready to call on Miss Nuneham."
As they walked to the vicarage Mar-
garet said, '' I am very fond of reading, —
almost as fond, 1 think, as you can be, — if
the book is entertaining. But John says I
read too many story-books, and, indeed, he
thinks Mary does too. She does not mind
him a bit, but goes on ordering down boxes
of novels ; but I am a little ashamed of
doing what he does not like. Besides, I
dare say he is right on the whole ; but
what am I to do ? He says I had better
have a course of reading. Now, what is a
course of reading ?"
"There are may courses, among which
you might take your choice. Suppose you
were very much interested in some one in
India, you might read all the books you
could get about India, and from the diffe-
rent accounts try to form a general view of
the whole. This would be made more easy
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 281
and pleasant by taking short notes as you
went along of what struck you, or what
you feared to forget. The same with any
other subject."
"That gives me a distinct idea," said
Margaret, " which nobody else gave me be-
fore. I thhik I will try it, though I don t
particularly care for India."
*' Oh, I only named India for example.
At one time I was very fond of reading
about the religious wars of France, and
read all the books I could about them."
*' Was that an interesting subject ?"
" Very ; there were such interesting
characters. I don't care for mere annals,
if they do not concern good and grand
characters. But there were many in those
wars. Jeanne d'Albret and her good
mother, and her brave though faulty son ;
SuUy, Coligni, Montmorenci, Conde, and a
great many others.''
*' My ideas of them are rather misty.
282 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
Suppose I were to read about them, -what
book should I begin with T
" Well, I think Smedley's ' History of
the Eeformed Eeligion in France ' would
be as good as any. It is in three little
volumes."
" That would suit me exactly, I think.
I will put down the name."
'' I will lend you the book when you go
home, if you will engage to return it in a
reasonable time. I do not like to lose sight
of my books."
" Oh, I will promise faithfully "
"And perform faithfully, I hope, which
will be more to the purpose."
Margaret laughed and said she would.
'' Though we are rather a bad family for re-
turning books," she added, "mamma has
had to make good one or two sets that
were lost. But I had nothing to do with
it. Thank you. Miss Beaumorice, for
giving me something to do when I go home.
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 283
Now that I have left school, I hardly know
how to fill up my mornings ; an hour or
two of improving reading will give me self-
respect, besides pleasing John."
" It will be very good indeed for you ;
and I hope you will now and then write to
me of what particularly interests you."
'^That I gladly will. I rather dislike
letter-writing in general, because I have so
little to say. What a pretty Httle blue
flower this ! Is it not foro^et-me-not ?"
" Yes, that is one of its 'names. It is
germander speedwell. Suppose we try how
many different specimens of wild flowers we
can collect before we reach the vicarage."
They found twenty-eight ; and Margaret
declared she would write down all their
names as soon as she returned. The fear
of forgetting them, and of the specimens
withering before she could put them in
water, made her impatient to reach home.
" When you have finished Smedley,"
284 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
said Miss Beaumorice, " I will lend you
Lacretelle's ' Histoire de France pendant les
Guerres de Religion.' There are four
volumes, in very easy and pretty French/'
"Thank you, — that will be beginning
' the course/ "
"You may have Davila, too, when you
have returned the others ; but perhaps you
would hardly care to have it, though the
Italian is very pure and good, and he is
considered, on the whole, a fair writer/' •
" We shall see when the time comes,"
said Margaret. " At present it seems to
me as if it would be quite grand to read
books in English, French, and Italian, all
on the same subject. But I won't answer
for my perseverance," added she, laughing.
" And I know scarcely anything of ItaHan."
" Set to work with a dictionary, and find
out every word you don't know ; you will
soon find you require its aid very little."
" WeU, I can but try/'
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 285
Miss Beaumorice had the pleasure of
thinkmg that she started Margaret off with
plenty of good purjDoses, whether they
eventually bore fruit or not.
A few days afterwards Mary called on
her.
" I know this is too early for visiting,"
said she, '' but can you spare time for a little
talk with me, as you did for Margaret ? I
had a few such pleasant mornings, but I
fear I shall have no more."
" Why so r
" Oh, so many things prevent. Mrs.
Garrow bores me so much with her plans of
usefulness. Surely I did not marry John
in order to be converted into a district-
visiting machine ? Is it fair, do you think ?
All the bloom of my life is being rubbed
off."
" I do not think Mrs. Garrow can intend
that."
" But she is doing it, though, very effec-
286 TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
tually/' said Mary peevishly. " And I
don't think I am cut out for that style of
thing at all. My genius does not lie that
way ; and I am sure my taste does not. I
am not fond of talking with low people ;
mamma expressly objected to it when I
was a girl, so of course I cannot be ex-
pected to like it now. If John had told
me I must submit to that kind of drudgery,
I think I should have told him decidedly I
could not yield to such conditions, — I
really think I should !"
And Mary looked thoroughly out of tem-
per, as well as out of heart about it. "I
already go to cottages with him," said she,
" though I do not always go in. Do tell
me, Miss Beaumorice, w^hat I am to do."
" I hardly know how to advise, because
I do not know what you have been asked
to do already."
" Oh, Mrs. Garrow has been so tiresome.
She said in that ' good-body ' way of hers.
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 287
' My dear, I'll take you round on Monday
to the cottages/ — just as if she was doing
me the greatest favour. I hate her ' my
dearing ' me as she does, — it so completely
removes me from my own level. I'm sure
I heartily hoped it would rain on Monday,
but it did not ; and Margaret, you know,
came over here, leaving me quite at Mrs.
Garrow's mercy. I thought it was a good
opportunity of wearing my straw hat, at
any rate, and she came for me early, and
was very pleased to find me ready. The
first cottage we went to was to see an old
woman actually dying, — there is not a
chance of her recovery. Her skin is the
colour of old wash-leather, and her bones
nearly come through it. Fancy how un-
pleasant ! The room, too, was rather close,
though the window was open a httle.
Well, she seemed to be a special pet of
Mrs. Garrow's. I thought she never would
come away. She kept talking about the
288 IHE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
old woman's soul, and the comfort of having
made her peace, and her interest in the
promises, and actually asked to be remem-
bered in her prayers ! After that she read
her a short psalm, and the old woman made
quite a long speech, as well as her cough
would let her ; and when we came away,
Mrs. Garrow's face actually beamed as she
said to me, ' What a privilege to visit such
an old saint, my dear !' T thought it a
privilege to come away.
" The next cottage," resumed Mary, pre-
sently, " belonged to a woman who sup-
ported herself by ironing, and who had a
drunken husband. Mrs. Garrow wanted
to know how he was goins: on, and the
woman had a long story to tell. I didn't
see why Protestants need confess these
things, as if they were Catholics. The
woman seemed to find it a relief; for you
see she was telHng her husband's sins, not
her own, which seemed to me a good deal
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 289
like tale- bearing. However, Mrs. Garrow
spoke to her very plainly and sensibly, I
must say, though I wondered how she
could do it : and the woman did not seem
much to like it, but owned at length that
Mrs. Garrow was right ; perhaps expecting
to be the better for it. When we came
away, Mrs. Garrow said, ' My dear, I was
obliged to speak very faithfully to her.' I
did not think the woman at all a nice per-
son.
" Next we went to a young married wo-
man with several children, — a slatternly
dawdle, who is quite irreclaimable, I think.
Mrs. Garrow spoke very warmly to her,
and she stood folding her hands, with her
head on one side, like a ninny. One of the
children had scalded itself, and Mrs. Garrow
told her it was all her fault, and gave her a
good scolding. She dressed the child's
scald herself, and got me to assist ; it
almost turned me sick. Another child had
VOL. I. 19
290 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
an eruption on its face — 'humour/ Mrs.
Garrow called it — and it made me quite
uncomfortable ; but she said it was nothing
infectious, — only the result of poor living
and want of proper cleanliness. That
might not prevent its being infectious, you
know.
*' Lastly, we went to see an old man and
woman, quite past work, but the pictures
of cleanliness, content, and comfort. They
put me in mind of ' John Anderson, my joe.'
Mrs. Garrow approved them so much that
she seemed unable to tear herself away
from them. I don't think I ever saw her
enjoy anything so much ! And they seemed
equally fond of her. The old man laid his
shaking hand on her arm quite familiarly
(though not disrespectfully), and his face
beamed as he said, ' What / say, ma'am, is,
people don't test the Lord enough. If you
ax them, do they believe His promises ?
they say they do ; but they don't test 'em.
TEE LADY GF LIMITED IXC ME. 291
They go on a grumbling and a gi'umbling,
and a complaining and a complaining to
anybody as will hear 'em, and they don t
go to Him as has said, ' Come unto MeT "
" That was very good," said Miss Beau-
morice.
" Yes, but it was only a truism, you
know, and to hear him say it, and to see
Mrs. Garrow listen to it, noddinof her head
and looking so edified, you would have
thought it a new discovery. When we
came away, she looked full at me, in a rap-
ture, and said, ' My dear, that old man is
quite a lesson to me.'
" In short," pursued Mary, " I never was
more glad than when I reached my own
o^ate, and she would not come in. She
only squeezed my hand with immense fer-
vour, and said, 'You see, my dear, how
easy it is to get at the hearts of these poor
people, if you do but go the right way to
work. I always feel it does me good ; which
19—2
292 THE LADY OF LIMITEB INCOME..
I could not echo in sincerity. In short,"
said Mary, with an impatient sigh, " I
feel it does not suit me at all, and it is no
good being hypocritical. Besides, I don't
like going into infectious cottages, or cot-
tages that may be infected. I owe it to
John not to catch anything, and I'm very
susceptible."
Miss Beaumorice here offered her cake
and wine, which she accepted very readily.
" Dear Mrs. Garrow," said Miss Beau-
morice, smiling as she cut the cake, "you
have quite interested me in her, you de-
scribe her so capitally. I could see her
and hear her exactly."
" Well, of course she is a very good
woman," said Mary, doubtfully, '' but there
is such a difference in our age and in the
way we have been brought up. What is
very well for an old lady at the fag end of
life is hardly suitable for a girl in her
honeymoon."
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 293
" No doubt her principle is, ' Train up a
young wife in the way she should go.' I
know she did so with her own daughter."
" Yes, I dare say ; but do you know
that daughter is a perfect horror to me?
There is no one I should so dislike to take
after. So that does not strengthen your
case," said Mary, laughing. "John cant
bear her any more than T can. He says
she is such a contrast to his sister. And,
by-the-bye. Miss Beaumorice, I'm half afraid
this piece of perfection will be another hor-
ror to me in a different style. I hope she
may not be, for I must have her to stay as
soon as Margaret leaves, and I don't know
when she will go.''
" When I came to live here," said Miss
Beaumorice, " my means being small, I was
anxious to keep well within bounds; but
as I was a stranger, it was a great treat to
me to have an old friend to stay with me
occasionally. This, of course, made a little
294 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
difference, though not much, in my house-
keeping bills ; and I found it a good plan
to have a visitor, say for ten days or a fort-
night, and then be a week or ten days
by myself before I invited another. This
enabled my housekeeping to recover itself,
and I think it was a good thing for my own
mind too, and prevented my becoming too
dependent on others."
" That was excellent,'' said Mary, " and
I should like it very much."
"Why not try it, then?"
" I am afraid I cannot. John will expect
Alicia to come directly Margaret goes, and
I fear she will expect it too. A week will
be the very outside of what I shall be able
to manage."
" That will be something."
" Yes, and I can put it on prudential
ground ; for really, since we are on the
subject, it is almost necessary. In fact, it
was one of the subjects I came over to
THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 295
speak about. I have exceeded the mark,
and the month's bills look rather fright-
ful."
'^If you paid by the week, you would
find them less formidable."
" Oh, but how troublesome !"
" I say nothing about that, though the
trouble is very httle, — very much less than
trouble of mind at being out of pocket.
That would be ' a geometrical distribution
of expenses which would diminish their
weight.' "
" I beHeve you may be right there," said
Mary, sighing, " but if I begin to-morrow,
there are still this month's bills that must
be paid ; and it will be very ignoble to be
obliged to tell John I have been unable to
keep within my allowance."
" Yes."
*^ And I cannot ask the tradesmen to
wait a Httle ?"
" Certainly not. That would be a very
296 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
bad Way to get into, and would only post-
pone your troubles."
" Then what am I to do T
" I think you must ask Mr. Brooke to
help you this time, and determine not to
exceed bounds again."
" But how can I keep the tradesmen in
check ? When I order a joint weighing
eight or nine pounds, the butcher sends me
twelve or thirteen."
" Ah, they were very tiresome about that,
I know. The only way I can sometimes
find is to vary the surplus meat by new
ways of serving it up."
*' I do that ; and Susan is really very
helpful in expedients. That boy has such
an appetite !"
"You don't suppose his chubby cheeks
are kept on nothing, do you ?"
" No," said Mary, laughing, " and he is
a great deal cheaper than cook. He goes
out sometimes before any of us are up, and
TEE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME. 297
brings in ever so many mushrooms to stew
with any bones or scraps he can get Susan
to give him. His stews smell so tempting,
that I told him he might as well bring me
a few mushrooms, but he has not been able
to find any more. I think he can imitate
the note of every bird in the country ; he
says he ' knows every man Jack of them ;'
and sometimes you would really think we
had a blackbird and nightingale in the
house."
'' Well," resumed she, after a short pause,
" I think the best way will be to make a
little sacrifice. The sum that hampers me
so can be covered by four or five pounds ;
and on my wedding-day papa put a little
purse into my hand with ten new sovereigns
in it. I can clear it off out of that, only
certainly that is not the way I meant to
spend it ! I had thought of so many pretty
things !"
VOL. I. 20
298 THE LADY OF LIMITED INCOME.
" Depend on it they would not give you
haLf the relief that this will."
" Perhaps not ; and then I need not
trouble John. It is very tiresome, though.
Thank you for helping me out of my diffi-
culty."
"You are going to help yourself out of
it, I think," said Miss Beaumorice,
END OF VOL. I.
BILUNO, PRINTER, GITILDFOKD, SUBRET.
1 '-^
J>
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIt-URBANA
3 0112 049781112
WMmmmi
Wmt^mmmm