f the ear for her tardiness.
The blow reddened her cheek, but brought no tears to her eyes. It was too
small a thing to weep for; tears were for blows upon the heart.

It was a cool and quiet little room, and Mistress Deborah, who had drunk
two full glasses of the Madeira, presently fell asleep. Audrey sat very
still, her hands folded in her lap and her eyes upon them, until their
hostess's voice announced from the foot of the stairs that Madam Travis
had taken her departure. She then slipped from the room, and was affably
received below, and taken into the apartment which they had first entered.
Here Mistress became at once extremely busy. A fan was to be mounted;
yards of silk gathered into furbelows; breast knots, shoulder knots, sword
knots, to be made up. Her customers were all people of quality, and unless
she did her part not one of them could go to the ball. Audrey shyly
proffered her aid, and was set to changing the ribbons upon a mask.

Mistress Stagg's tongue went as fast as her needle: "And Deborah is
asleep! Poor soul! she's sadly changed from what she was in old England
thirteen years ago. As neat a shape as you would see in a day's journey,
with the prettiest color, and eyes as bright as those marcasite buttons!
And she saw the best of company at my Lady Squander's,--no lack there of
kisses and guineas and fine gentlemen, you may be sure! There's a deal of
change in this mortal world, and it's generally for the worse. Here,
child, you may whip this lace on Mr. Lightfoot's ruffles. I think myself
lucky, I can tell you, that there are so few women in Cato. If 'tweren't
so, I should have to go on myself; for since poor, dear, pretty Jane Day
died of the smallpox, and Oriana Jordan ran away with the rascally
Bridewell fellow that we bought to play husbands' parts, and was never
heard of more, but is supposed to have gotten clean off to Barbadoes by
favor of the master of the Lady Susan, we have been short of actresses.
But in this play there are only Marcia and Lucia. 'It is extremely
fortunate, my dear,' said I to Mirabell this very morning, 'that in this
play, which is the proper compliment to a great gentleman just taking
office, Mr. Addison should have put no more than two women.' And Mirabell
says--Don't put the lace so full, child; 'twon't go round."

"A chair is stopping at the gate," said Audrey, who sat by the window.
"There's a lady in it."

The chair was a very fine painted one, borne by two gayl