seemed to think it necessary to inquire
about. Miss Galindo was by birth and
breeding a lady of the strictest honour, and
would, if possible, forget the substance of
any letters that pass through her hands;
at any rate, no one would ever hear of
them again from her. "Remuneration?"
Oh! as for that, Lady Ludlow would
herself take care that it was managed in the
most delicate manner possible. She would
send to invite Miss Galindo to tea at the
Hall that very afternoon, if Mr. Horner
would only give her ladyship the slightest
idea of the average length of time that my
lady was to request Miss Galindo to sacrifice
to her daily. "Three hours! Very
well." Mr. Horner looked very grave as he
passed the windows of the room where I
lay. I don't think he liked the idea of Miss
Galindo as a clerk.

Lady Ludlow's invitations were like royal
commands. Indeed the village was too quiet
to allow the inhabitants to have many evening
engagements of any kind. Now and then
Mr. and Mrs. Horner gave a tea and supper
to the principal tenants and their wives, to
which the clergyman was invited, and Miss
Galindo, Mrs. Medlicott, and one or two
other spinsters and widows. The glory of
the supper-table on these occasions was
invariably furnished by her ladyship! it was
a cold roasted peacock, with his tail stuck
out as if in life. Mrs. Medlicott would take
up the whole morning arranging the feathers
in the proper semicircle, and was always
pleased with the wonder and admiration it
excited. It was considered a due reward
and fitting compliment to her exertions that
Mr. Horner always took her in to supper,
and placed her opposite to the magnificent
dish, at which she sweetly smiled all the time
they were at table. But since Mrs. Horner
had had the paralytic stroke these parties
had been given up; and Miss Galindo wrote
a note to Lady Ludlow in reply to her
invitation, saying that she was entirely
disengaged, and would have great pleasure in
doing herself the honour of waiting upon her
ladyship.

"Whoever visited my lady took their meals
with her, sitting on the dais, in the presence
of all my former companions. So I did not
see Miss Galindo until some time after tea;
as the young gentlewomen had had to bring
her their sewing and spinning, to hear the
remarks of so competent a judge. At length
her ladyship brought her visitor into the
room where I lay,—it was one of my bad
days, I remember,—in order to have her
little bit of private conversation. Miss
Galindo was dressed in her best gown, I am
sure, but I had never seen anything like it
except in a picture, it was so old-fashioned.
She wore a white muslin apron, delicately
embroidered, and put on a little crookedly, in
order, as she told us, even Lady Ludlow,
before the evening was over, to conceal a
spot whence the colour had been discharged
by a lemon-stain. This crookedness had an
odd effect, especially when I saw that it was
intentional; indeed, she was so anxious
about her apron's right adjustment in the
wrong place, that she told us straight out
why she wore it so, and asked her ladyship
if the spot was properly hidden, at the same
time lifting up her apron and showing her
how large it was.

"When my father was alive, I always took
his right arm, so, and used to remove any
spotted or discoloured breadths to the left
side if it was a walking dress. That's the
convenience of a gentleman. But widows
and spinsters must do what they can. Ah,
my dear! (to me), when you are reckoning
up the blessings in your lot,—though you
may think it a hard one in some respects,—
don't forget how little your stockings want
darning, as you are obliged to lie down so
much! I would rather knit two pairs of
stockings than darn one, any day."

"Have you been doing any of your beautiful
knitting lately?" asked my lady, who had
now arranged Miss Galindo in the pleasantest
chair, and taken her own little wicker-work
one, and, having her work in her hands, was
ready to try and open the subject.

"No, and alas! your ladyship. It is partly
the hot weather's fault, for people seem to
forget that winter must come; and partly, I
suppose, that everyone is stocked who has
the money to pay four and sixpence a pair
for stockings."

"Then may I ask if you have any time in
your active days at liberty?" said my lady,
drawing a little nearer to her proposal,
which I fancy she found it a little awkward
to make.

"Why the village keeps me busy, your
ladyship, when I have neither knitting nor
sewing to do. You know I took X for my
letter at the repository, because it stands for
Xantippe, who was a great scold in old times,
as I have learnt. But I'm sure I don't know
how the world would get on without scolding,
your ladyship. It would go to sleep, and the
sun would stand still."

"I don't think I could bear to scold, Miss
Galindo," said her ladyship, smiling.

"No! because your ladyship has people to
do it for you. Begging your pardon, my lady,
it seems to me the generality of people may
be divided into saints, scolds, and sinners.
Now your ladyship is a saint, because you
have a sweet and holy nature, in the first
place; and have people to do your anger and
vexation for you, in the second place. And
Jonathan Walker is a sinner, because he is
sent to prison. But here am I, halfway,
having but a poor kind of disposition at best,
and yet hating sin, and all that leads to it,
such as wasting and extravagance, and
gossiping,—and yet all this lies right under my
nose in the village, and I am not saint
enough to be vexed at it; and so I scold.