Warburton smiled as he met her glance.

"I feel rather guilty in the matter," he said, "for it was I who
suggested the servant. If you will let me, I will do my best to atone
by trying to find another and a better."

"Run and make the tea, my dear," said Mrs. Cross. "Perhaps Mr. Jollyman
will have a cup with us--"

This invitation was declined. Warburton sought for his hat, and took
leave of the ladies, Mrs. Cross overwhelming him with gratitude, and
Bertha murmuring a few embarrassed words. As soon as he was gone,
mother and daughter took hands affectionately, then embraced with more
tenderness than for a long, long time.

"I shall never dare to live alone with a servant," sobbed Mrs. Cross.
"If you leave me, I must go into lodgings, dear."

"Hush, hush, mother," replied the girl, in her gentlest voice. "Of
course I shall not leave you.

"Oh, the dreadful things I have been through! It was drink, Bertha;
that creature was a drunkard of the most dangerous kind. She did her
best to murder me. I wonder I am not at this moment lying dead.-- Oh,
but the kindness of Mr. Jollyman! What a good thing I sent for him! And
he speaks of finding us another servant; but, Bertha, I shall never try
to manage a servant again--never. I shall always be afraid of them; I
shall dread to give the simplest order. You, my dear, must be the
mistress of the house; indeed you must. I give over everything into
your hands. I will never interfere; I won't say a word, whatever fault
I may have to find; not a word. Oh, that creature; that horrible woman
will haunt my dreams. Bertha, you don't think she'll hang about the
house, and lie in wait for me, to be revenged? We must tell the
policeman to look out for her. I'm sure I shall never venture to go out
alone, and if you leave me in the house with a new servant, even for an
hour, I must be in a room with the door locked. My nerves will never
recover from this shock. Oh, if you knew how ill I feel! I'll have a
cup of tea, and then go straight to bed."

Whilst she was refreshing herself, she spoke again of Mr. Jollyman.

"Do you think I ought to have pressed him to stay, dear? I didn't feel
sure."

"No, no, you were quite right not to do so," replied Bertha. "He of
course understood that it was better for us to be alone."

"I thought he would. Really, for a grocer, he is so very gentlemanly."

"That's not surprising, mother."

"No, no; I'm always forgetting that he isn't a grocer by bir