Madame any further commands for me?" she asked, coming up to her
mistress.

"Yes; be sure to get the velvet at Lemaire's, and take back the silk
kimono. I will send to New York for one."

"Yes, Madame."

"That is all--besides the other errands. Now go." She dismissed her with
a wave of her shapely hand. "But first, as I bade you, _send_ Polly
Pepper to me."

Hortense, with another elevation of her shoulders, said nothing, till
she found herself the other side of the door. Then she shook her fist at
it.

"It ees not Miss Polly who will be sent for; it ees Madame who will be
sent out of dees house, _j'ai peur_--ha, ha, ha!"

She laughed softly to herself all the way downstairs, with an insolent
little fling to her head, that boded ill for her mistress's interests.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Chatterton was angrily pacing up and down the room.
"What arrant nonsense a man can be capable of when he is headstrong to
begin with! To think of the elegant Horatio King, a model for all men,
surrounding himself with this commonplace family. Faugh! It is easy
enough to see what they are all after. But I shall prevent it.
Meanwhile, the only way to do it is to break the spirit of this Polly
Pepper. Once do that, and I have the task easy to my hand."

She listened intently. "It can't be possible she would refuse to come.
Ha! I thought so."

Polly came quietly in. No one to see her face would have supposed that
she had thrown aside the book she had been waiting weeks to read, so
that lessons and music need not suffer. For she was really glad when
Mrs. Chatterton's French maid asked her respectfully if she would please
be so good as to step up to her mistress's apartments, "_s'il vous
plait_, Mees Polly."

"Yes, indeed," cried Polly, springing off from the window-seat, and
forgetting the enchanted story-land immediately in the rush of delight.
"Oh, I have another chance to try to please her," she thought, skimming
over the stairs. But she was careful to restrain her steps on reaching
the room.

"You may take that paper," said Mrs. Chatterton, seating herself in her
favorite chair, "and read to me. You know the things I desire to hear,
or ought to." She pointed to the society news, _Town Talk_, lying on the
table.

Polly took it up, glad to be of the least service, and whirled it over
to get the fashion items, feeling sure that now she was on the right
road to favor.

"Don't rattle it," cried Mrs. Chatterton, in a thin, high voic