"Like a—, like a scoundrel!" cried
Marian, her eyes flashing, and all the
colour ablaze in her cheeks.  "He has been
ever since we have been there, either rude
and rough, or sulky and unpleasant; but
to-day, just before I saw you, not an hour
ago, he met me in the fields, and insulted
me in the grossest manner, talked about
our poverty, and hinted that—hinted —"
and the remainder of the sentence was lost
in a burst of tears.

"Happy hit of mine, that!" muttered
the doctor to himself.  "I seem to be
distinguishing myself to-day!  Young ruffian
that Tom.  He shall have a pretty dose
next time I'm sent for to him, I'll take
care. Come, my dear, then, you must not
mind; he's only a boy—a rude beastly boy
with no manners, and no heart either, and
not much chest or stomach for the matter
of that.  You must not mind him.  It's a
pity he's not nice to you, because he has a
certain power in that house; and if he
were to pronounce himself as decidedly in
opposition to the little scheme I had in my
mind, and about which I was going to talk
to you, it is very probable it might fall to
the ground.  But there are various ways of
getting over objectionable boys.  Lord bless
me, in my time I've taken boys into the
surgery, and brought them round by a
handful of acidulated drops, and have
tamed the most refractory by a
Tolu-lozenge."

"I scarcely think that Tom Creswell is
to be bought over on such easy terms," said
Marian, with a faint and weary smile.
"But, doctor, what was the suggestion you
were about to make?"

"Simply this, my dear.  That instead of
your removing into Mrs. Swainson's lodgings,
which are by no means suited for
you, and where I should be very sorry to
see you, or into any lodging at all, you
should—when I say you I mean, of course,
you and Mrs. Ashurst—should remain at
Woolgreaves."

"Remain at Woolgreaves?  For how
long?"

"Well, as romantic or thoughtless
people say, 'for ever;' at all events until
the condition of each of you is changed—by
different means, let us hope."

"And under what conditions is this
scheme to be realised?  I suppose Mr.
Creswell would scarcely take us in as
boarders at Woolgreaves, doctor?"

"No, my dear child, no.  You are
pleased to be satirical, but I am in earnest.
That the labourer is worthy of his hire is
a principle that has been recognised for
centuries, and you shall labour, and for
hire.  See here, this is how the thought
first came into my head.  Mrs. Caddy, the
housekeeper at Woolgreaves, a very worthy
woman, has been ailing of late, and came
to consult me last week.  Our climate
don't do for her.  She's a little touched in
the chest, and must get away further south
for the winter.  I told her so, plainly, and
she didn't seem at all uncomfortable about
it.  Her friends live in Devonshire, and
she's saved a good bit of money, I should
think, since she's been in Mr. Creswell's
service.  All that seemed to worry her was
what they would do at Woolgreaves without
her.  She harped upon this several
times, and at last a ray of light seemed to
break upon her as she asked why her place
should not be taken by 't' young girl,
schoolmaster's daughter'!"

"Dear me!  Mrs. Caddy's place taken
by me?"

"By you!  it was an irreverent way to
speak of you, Marian my dear, I'll admit,
but there was no irreverence intended.  Mrs.
Caddy once set going, launched out into
an interminable list of your special virtues.
There never was a girl who 'cottoned'
so completely to her style of pickling
and preserving, there never was a girl who
so intuitively grasped the great secret of
making cherry-brandy, or who so quickly
perceived the short-comings of the
still-room maid in the matter. And this talk of
the worthy woman's gave me an idea."

"The same idea as Mrs. Caddy's?"

"The same, with a difference.  Mrs.
Caddy's was preposterous, mine is possible.
And mine is this. When Mrs. Caddy goes,
let it be understood that Mrs. Ashurst has
consented to superintend the Woolgreaves
household.  There would be nothing
derogatory in the position; all with whom she
would be brought in contact would take
care of that, and though she would not
have the least qualification for the post,
poor woman!—no affront to you, my dear,
but she wouldn't—you would be able to
keep all smooth, and take care that
everything went straight."

"But even such an establishment as
Woolgreaves would not require two
house-keepers, doctor?"

"Of course it would not," said the old
gentleman, pleased to see by Marian's
brightening face that the proposition was
not disagreeable to her."  Of course it
would not. Mrs. Ashurst would be the
responsible housekeeper, while your