r her to meet with her
equal, either social, intellectual, or moral; and a husband, even
though an Australian, began to be looked upon as a desirable thing at
her time of life. And though Brandon was not fascinated by her, though
he was not interested in her, though he felt no thrill in touching her
hand, no exquisite delight in listening to her voice or her singing, he
began to feel that this was to be his fate, and that the quiet, pale
girl who had refused him would not make so suitable a wife for him as
Harriett Phillips, after all.

He was somewhat astonished, however, when he heard from this last-named
lady, about a week after Elsie Melville's arrival, that her
sister-in-law had engaged her services as lady's-maid. A lady's-maid
was what Mrs. Phillips had long desired to have, and now, when she saw
Elsie's excellent taste, both in dressmaking and millinery, she thought
that with a few lessons in hairdressing she might suit her very nicely,
and it would be quite a boon to the poor girl, whom Dr. Phillips had
forbidden to return to her situation in Edinburgh.

Mr. Phillips, though he thought that a lady's-maid was rather beyond
his circumstances and his wife's sphere, hoped such good things from
her associating constantly with two such women as Jane and Elsie
Melville, that he readily gave his consent. Elsie as readily agreed to
serve in this inferior capacity. The pleasure of being near her sister
was not to be refused on account of being so far subordinated to her.
She was deeply impressed with her own inferiority, and fell into her
place at once.

Harriett Phillips could not help a slight sneer at her sister-in-law's
assumption in this new step towards gentility; but as she was going to
London with the family, she had no doubt that Elsie would be glad to be
of service to her too, as she appeared to be very good-natured, and
willing to oblige a family who had been so very kind to her sister and
herself. There were so many things that were secured for Elsie by this
arrangement which were imperatively necessary for her health, that Jane
submitted to it as the best possible under the circumstances, though
she feared that Mrs. Phillips would show to Elsie the caprice and bad
temper which she dared not show to herself. And in this she was not
mistaken; for Elsie was so yielding and so diffident, that her new
mistress exercised a great deal of real tyranny over her, varied by
fitful acts of liberality and kindness. Pe