arances.
You are a great deal better off in the country, grandpapa."

"Lord bless you, my dear, do you call Carlingford the country?" said Mr.
Tozer. "That is all you know about it. Your granny and I are humble
folks, but the new minister at Salem is one as keeps up appearances with
the best. Your mother was always inclined for that. I hope she has not
brought you up too fine for the likes of us."

"I hope not, indeed," said Phoebe. "No fear of my being too fine for my
duty, grandpapa. Do you live down this nice road? How pretty it is! how
delightful these gardens must be in summer. I beg your pardon for
calling it the country. It is so quiet and so nice, it seems the country
to me."

"Ah, to be sure; brought up in the London smoke," said Mr. Tozer. "I
don't suppose, now, you see a bit of green from year's end to year's
end? Very bad for the 'ealth, that is; but I can't say you look poorly
on it. Your colour's fresh, so was your mother's before you. To be sure,
she wasn't cooped up like you."

"Oh, we do get a little fresh air sometimes--in the parks, for
instance," said Phoebe. She was somewhat piqued by the idea that she was
supposed to live in London smoke.

"Ah, the parks are always something; but I suppose it takes you a day's
journey to get at them," said Mr. Tozer, shaking his head. "You mustn't
mind your grandmother's temper just at first, my dear. She's old, poor
soul, and she ain't well, and she's sometimes cross above a bit. But
she'll be that proud of you, she won't know if she's on her 'eels or 'er
'ead; and as for a cross word now and again, I hope as you won't mind--"

"I shan't mind anything, grandpapa," said Phoebe, sweetly, "so long as I
can be of use."

And these were, indeed, the dutiful sentiments with which she made her
entry upon this passage in her life, not minding anything but to be of
use. The first glimpse of old Tozer, indeed, made it quite evident to
Phoebe that nothing but duty could be within her reach. Pleasure,
friends, society, the thought of all such delights must be abandoned.
And as for Clarence Copperhead and the Miss Dorsets, the notion of
meeting or receiving them was too absurd. But Duty remained, and Phoebe
felt herself capable of the sacrifice demanded from her. That confidence
in herself which we have already indicated as a marked feature in her
character, gave her the consoling certainty that she could not suffer
from association with her humble relations. Whosoever