The new chamberer, who came in Marabel's place, was named Ricarda; the
girls were told this one evening at supper-time, and informed that she
would arrive on the morrow. Her place at table was next below
Amphillis, who was greatly astonished to be asked, as she sat down to
supper--

"Well, Phyllis, what hast thou to say to me?"

Amphillis turned and gazed at the speaker.

"Well?" repeated the latter. "Thou hast seen me before."

"Ricarda! How ever chanceth it?"

The astonishment of Amphillis was intense. The rules of etiquette at
that time were chains indeed; and the daughter of a tradesman was not in
a position to be bower-woman to a lady of title. How had her cousin
come there?

"What sayest, then," asked Ricarda, with a triumphant smile, "to know
that my Lady Foljambe sent to covenant with me by reason that she was so
full fain of thee that she desired another of thy kin?"

"Is it soothly thus?" replied Amphillis, her surprise scarcely lessened
by hearing of such unusual conduct on the part of the precise Lady
Foljambe. "Verily, but--And how do my good master mine uncle, and my
good cousin Alexandra?"

"Saundrina's wed, and so is my father. And Saundrina leads Clement a
life, and Mistress Altham leads my father another. I was none so sorry
to come away, I can tell thee. I hate to be ruled like a ledger and
notched like a tally!"

"Thou shalt find things be well ruled in this house, Rica," said
Amphillis, thinking to herself that Ricarda and Agatha would make a
pair, and might give their mistress some trouble. "But whom hath mine
uncle wed, that is thus unbuxom [disobedient] to him?"

"Why, Mistress Regina, the goldsmith's daughter, that counts herself
worth us all, and would fain be a queen in the patty-shop, and cut us
all out according to her will."

"But, Ricarda, I reckoned Mistress Regina a full good and wise woman."

"`Good and wise!' She may soon be so. I hate goodness and wisdom.
There's never a bit of jollity for her. 'Tis all `thou shalt not.' She
might as well be the Ten Commandments and done with it."

"Wouldst thou fain not keep the Ten Commandments, Rica?"

"I'd fain have my own way, and be jolly. Oh, she keeps the house well
enough. Father saith he's tenfold more comfortable sithence her
coming."

"I thought thou saidst she led him an ill, diseaseful [Note 1] life?"

"Well, so did I. Father didn't."

"Oh!" said Amphillis, in an enlightened tone.

"And she's a