proached herself for
her inefficiency, and imagined that he was going to be as ill as his
brother, and that she should be of no use to him. How hard on him to
have such a bad wife! She could not even entertain him while he was kept
indoors--for she could not find anything to talk about, so long was it
since she had been out, or read anything amusing.

However, on the third afternoon, he brightened up, found the soup good,
talked and laughed, and declared that if to-morrow was fine, he should
be out again. And the next day she was so delighted to find his
cough was gone--more quickly than he had ever known so severe a cold
depart--that it was not till he was out of the house that she remembered
that she was condemned to solitude for many hours.

Here was quarter-day, bringing fresh confusion, in those inexplicable
household expenses, and a miserable sense of wastefulness, and
unfaithfulness to her charge. She thought of John's advice, to make her
husband attend, if she found her means insufficient; and set herself to
draw up a statement of the case, to lay before him; but she grew more
and more puzzled; the cook's dishonesty weighed on her, and her fears
of taking any measures increased. Her calculations always ended in
despairing tears.

She was lying on her bed, recovering from one of these almost hysterical
fits, when she was roused from a doze by a knock at her door; and
started up, trying to hide that anything had been the matter, as Sarah
came in, and said, with a tone of authority,

'Mrs. Finch and Miss Gardner, ma'am! but I will say you are not well
enough to see them.'

'O no, Sarah, I am quite well, I was only asleep.'

'You had better not go down,' sternly repeated Sarah. 'You had much
best lie down, and have your sleep out, after being kept awake till two
o'clock last night, with Captain Martindale not coming home. And you
with the pillow all awry, and that bit of a shawl over you! Lie you
down, and I'll set it straight.'

But Violet was on her feet--the imputation on Captain Martindale had put
her on her mettle. 'Thank you, I don't want anything; I am going down
directly.'

Sarah shook her head, and looked significantly at the glass; and there,
indeed, Violet perceived that her eyes bore traces of recent weeping;
but, still, she would do anything rather than own her tears. 'My head
aches a little--that makes my eyes heavy,' said she. 'It will do me good
to see Miss Gardner. I knew her at Martindale