Frankland takes an insolent whim into her
head, and affects to be frightened by my
housekeeper. Mr. Frankland shows an
insolent readiness to humour that whim, and
hands me back my housekeeper as if she was
a bad shilling ; and last, and worst of all, my
housekeeper herself insults me to my face,
as soon as she comes back — insults me, Mr.
Orridge, to that degree, that I give her
twelve hours' notice to leave the place.
Don't begin to defend yourself! I know all
about it ; I know you had nothing to do with
sending her back ; I never said you had. All
the mischief you have done is innocent
mischief. I don't blame you, remember that—
whatever you do, Mr. Orridge, remember
that ! "

"I had no idea of defending myself," said
the doctor, when he was at last allowed to
speak, " for I feel as firmly convinced, on my
side, as you can be on yours, Mrs. Norbury,
that I am in no way to blame. I was merely
about to say, that you surprise me beyond
all power of expression, when you tell me
that Mrs. Jazeph treated you with
incivility."

"Incivility! " exclaimed Mrs. Norbury.
"Don't talk about incivility — it's not the word.
Impudence is the word: daring, brazen
impudence. When Mrs. Jazeph came back in
that fly from the Tiger's Head, she was either
drunk or mad. Open your eyes as much as
you please, Mr. Orridge; she was either the
one or the other, or a mixture of both. You
have seen her, you have talked to her—
should you say she was the kind of woman to
look you fiercely in the face, and contradict
you flatly the moment you spoke to her?"

"I should say she was the very last woman
in the world to misbehave herself in that
way," answered the doctor.

"Very well. Now hear what happened when
she came back, last night," said Mrs. Norbury.

*' She got here just as we were going
upstairs to bed. Of course, I was astonished;
and, of course, I called her into the drawing-room
for an explanation. There was nothing
very unnatural in that course of proceeding,
I suppose ? Well, I noticed that her eyes
were swollen and red, and that her looks
were remarkably wild and queer; but I said
nothing, and waited for the explanation. All
she had to tell me was, that something she
had unintentionally said, or done, had
frightened Mrs. Frankland, and that Mrs.
Frankland's husband had sent her away on
the spot. I disbelieved this at first — and very
naturally, I think — but she persisted in the
story, and answered all my questions by
declaring that she could tell me nothing
more. 'So then,' I said, ' I am to believe that
after I have inconvenienced myself by sparing
you, and after you have inconvenienced yourself
by undertaking the business of nurse, I
am to be insulted, and you are to be insulted
by your being sent away from Mrs. Frankland
on the very day when you get to her,
because she chooses to take a whim into her
head ? '  ' I never accused Mrs. Frankland
of taking a whim into her head,' says Mrs.
Jazeph, and stares me straight in the face,
with such a look as I never saw in her eyes
before, after all my five years' experience of
her. ' What do you mean ? ' I asked, giving
her back her look, I can promise you. ' Are
you base enough to take the treatment you
have received in the light of a favour ? '
' I am just enough,' said Mrs. Jazeph, as
sharp as lightning, and still with that same
stare straight at me, 'I am just enough not
to blame Mrs. Frankland.' ' O, you are,
are you ? ' I said. ' Then all I can tell
you is, that I feel this insult, if you don't ;
and that I consider Mrs. Frankland's conduct
to be the conduct of an ill-bred, impudent,
capricious, unfeeling woman.' Mrs. Jazeph
takes a step up to me — takes a step, I give
you my word of honour and says distinctly,
in so many words, ' Mrs. Frankland is neither
ill-bred, impudent, capricious, nor unfeeling.'
' Do you mean to contradict me, Mrs. Jazeph ? '
I asked. ' I mean to defend Mrs. Frankland
from unjust imputations,' says she. Those were
her words, Mr. Orridge — on my honour, as a
gentlewoman, those were exactly her words."

The doctor's face expressed the blankest
astonishment. Mrs. Norbury surveyed him
with a look of calm triumph, and went on—

"I was in a towering passion — I don't
mind confessing that, Mr. Orridge — but I
kept it down. ' Mrs. Jazeph,' I said, ' this is
language that I am not accustomed to, and that
I certainly never expected to hear from your
lips. Why you should take it on yourself to
defend Mrs. Frankland for treating us both
with contempt, and to contradict me for
resenting it, I neither know nor care to know.
But I must tell you, in plain words, that I
will be spoken to by every person in my
employment, from my housekeeper to my
scullery-maid, with respect. I would have given
warning on the spot to any other servant in
this house who had behaved to me as you
have behaved ' — She tried to interrupt me
there, but I would not allow her. ' No,' I
said, 'you are not to speak to me just yet;
you are to hear me out. Any other servant,
I tell you again, should have left this place
to-morrow morning; but I will be more than
just to you. I will give you the benefit of
your five years' good conduct in my service. I
will leave you the rest of the night to get cool,
and to reflect on what has passed between
us; and I will not expect you to make the
proper apologies to me until the morning.'
You see, Mr. Orridge, I was determined to
act justly and kindly — I was ready to make
allowances; and what do you think she said in
return? ' I am willing to make any apologies,
ma'am, for offending you,' she said, ' without
the delay of a single minute; but, whether it
is to-night, or whether it is to-morrow morning,
I cannot stand by silent when I hear
Mrs. Frankland charged with acting unkindly,