nestly; 'I
shall have so much more to do in our own house, that I shall not miss
you so much when you are out; besides, we can have Annette to stay with
us.'

'We'll see about that. But look here,' laying a paper with some figures
before her; 'that's all my father leaves me for you to keep house with.
I put it into your hands, and you must do the best you can with it.'

'You don t mean to put all that into my hands!' exclaimed Violet in
alarm. 'What a sum!'

'You won't think so by the end of the year; but mind, this must do; it
will be of no use to come to me for more.'

'Then is it little?' asked Violet.

'See what you think of it by and by; you won't find it such an easy
thing to make both ends meet.'

'I will write and ask mamma to tell me how to manage.'

'Indeed,' said Arthur, with sharpness such as she had never seen in him
before, 'I beg you will not. I won't have my affairs the town talk
of Wrangerton.' But seeing her look frightened, and ready to cry, he
softened instantly, and said, affectionately, 'No, no, Violet, we
must keep our concerns to ourselves. I don't want to serve for the
entertainment of Matilda's particular friends.'

'Mamma wouldn't tell--'

'I'll trust no house of seven women.'

'But how am I to know how to manage?'

'Never mind; you'll get on. It comes as naturally to women as if it was
shooting or fishing.'

'I wonder how I shall begin! I don't know anything.'

'Buy a cookery book.'

'Aunt Moss gave me one; I didn't mean that. But, oh, dear, there's the
hiring of servants, and buying things!'

'Don't ask me: it is woman's work, and always to be done behind the
scenes. If there's a thing I mortally hate, it is those housekeeper
bodies who go about talking of their good cooks.'

Violet was silenced, but after much meditation she humbly begged for
answers to one or two questions. 'Was she to pay the servants' wages out
of this?'

'Your maids--of course.'

'And how many are we to have?'

'As many as will do the work.'

'A cook and housemaid--I wonder if that would be enough?'

'Don't ask me, that's all'

'I know you don't like to be teased,' she said, submissively; 'but one
or two things I do want to know. Is James to be in the house?'

'Why, yes; he is a handy fellow. We will have him down for Simmonds to
give him some training.'

'Then ought we to have two maids or three?'

He held up his hands, and escaped.

That morning John, happening to come into the draw