contempshious at Mrs. T. and me, and
said, 'I've brought a letter from the duchess whose daughter I nust; and
I think, Mrs. Blenkinsop, mem, my Lady Tiptoff may look far before she
finds such another nuss as me. Five feet six high, had the small-pox,
married to a corporal in the Lifeguards, perfectly healthy, best of
charactiers, only drink water; and as for the child, ma'am, if her
Ladyship had six, I've a plenty for them all.'

"As the woman was making this speech, a little gentleman in black came in
from the next room, treading as if on velvet. The woman got up, and made
him a low curtsey, and folding her arms on her great broad chest,
repeated the speech she had made before. Mrs. T. did not get up from her
chair, but only made a sort of a bow; which, to be sure, I thought was
ill manners, as this gentleman was evidently the apothecary. He looked
hard at her and said, 'Well, my good woman, and are you come about the
place too?'

"'Yes, sir,' says she, blushing.

"'You seem very delicate. How old is your child? How many have you had?
What character have you?'

"Your wife didn't answer a word; so I stepped up, and said, 'Sir,' says
I, 'this lady has just lost her first child, and isn't used to look for
places, being the daughter of a captain in the navy; so you'll excuse her
want of manners in not getting up when you came in.'

"The doctor at this sat down and began talking very kindly to her; he
said he was afraid that her application would be unsuccessful, as Mrs.
Horner came very strongly recommended from the Duchess of Doncaster,
whose relative Lady Tiptoff was; and presently my Lady appeared, looking
very pretty, ma'am, in an elegant lace-cap and a sweet muslin _robe-de-
sham_.

"A nurse came out of her Ladyship's room with her; and while my Lady was
talking to us, walked up and down in the next room with something in her
arms.

"First, my Lady spoke to Mrs. Horner, and then to Mrs. T.; but all the
while she was talking, Mrs. Titmarsh, rather rudely, as I thought, ma'am,
was looking into the next room: looking--looking at the baby there with
all her might. My Lady asked her her name, and if she had any character;
and as she did not speak, I spoke up for her, and said she was the wife
of one of the best men in the world; that her Ladyship knew the
gentleman, too, and had brought him a haunch of venison. Then Lady
Tiptoff looked up quite astonished, and I told the whole story: how you
had been head