d. I hadn't finished what I was
going to say."

"I beg your pardon, Aunt Etta, I am so sorry. What was it you were going
to say?"

Henrietta could not remember, and branched off to something else.
"Wearing all this jewellery in the day is so common. That girl at the
post office had two brooches and a locket, and she kept me waiting so
long; she always does."

"Yes, but I think we must leave them to judge what they like to wear; it
is not our business really, is it? But I did just want to speak to you
about this Servants' Union, Aunt Etta. I wonder if I might give Annie a
little pamphlet I have written about it. Of course, we don't want them
to be always striking or anything of that sort. The aim of my Society is
simply to try and rouse servants to a sense of what it is they're
missing--this great power of organization and solidarity which they
ought to have. I think Annie looks such a nice intelligent girl, who
would be sure to have an influence with her friends."

"No, she's most tiresome and inconsiderate. She _would_ go out this
evening just when you were coming, because she wanted to take her mother
to the hospital, so that I had to have Mrs. Spring, and it is all very
well for Annie to say----"

"I wonder if I might read you a little piece out of my pamphlet, Aunt
Etta, just to make a few points clear. You see, I want to get you in
favour of our Union so much, because we feel that mistresses ought to be
co-operating with the servants, helping them to help themselves, and
then we shall get a really influential body of public opinion, which
will do valuable work in improving servants' conditions."

Henrietta writhed and struggled, and went off on frivolous pretexts, but
she could not escape the pamphlet, which was extremely able; so was the
author extremely able, but for a complete ignorance of human nature.
Henrietta heard all about Socialism, Land Taxes, and Adult Suffrage too,
and the more cross she became the more kindly and patiently Agatha
shouted, greeting any specially absurd ebullition with imperturbable
pleasantness, and "how interesting, I am _so_ anxious to get exactly at
your point of view." That niece was not invited again.

Henrietta often thought with affection and gratitude of the little old
aunt, who had died many years back; but, as she would have been the
first to own, her old age was not nearly so successful. Her house was
not a centre for everybody. She had some elderly ladies with whom