perfectly right. I had no idea you were such a practical person.
But, if you will allow me to give you a hint, Marshall earns good wages,
and there ought to be sufficient money to pay for a moderate amount of
help.'

'I told Mrs. Marshall so this morning,' I returned, pleased to find
myself talking with such ease to Mr. Hamilton; but he seemed quite
different to-night; evidently his _brusquerie_ was a mere mannerism that
he laid aside at times; he had lost that sneering manner that I so much
disliked. I remembered Uncle Max said that he was kind-hearted and
eccentric.

'We had a long talk,' I went on. 'Marshall sends the money regularly, and
I am to manage it. Mrs. Tyler is to wash for us, and I think we can
afford to have Hope for at least an hour a day, to do the rough work;
Peggy is so little to do everything.'

'Heaven help poor Peg!' he ejaculated; 'for she will soon have all those
children on her hands. Mrs. Marshall cannot last long. Well, Miss
Garston, how many hours do you intend to spend at the cottage daily?'

'I should think two hours in the morning and an hour and a half in the
late afternoon or evening might do, unless there be a change for the
worse, or Elspeth falls ill; she is very old and feeble.'

'She was half starved, poor old creature,--fairly clemmed, as they say
in the North. Here we are at your place, Miss Garston. How bright and
inviting your parlour looks! I wonder if I may ask to come in for a few
minutes, while I tell you about the other case?'

Of course I could not do less than invite him to enter, after that; but
I am afraid my manner lacked enthusiasm, and betrayed the fact that I was
unwilling to entertain Mr. Hamilton as a guest, for when I saw his face
in the lamplight he was regarding me with some amusement.

'Cunliffe has done me no end of mischief,' he said, as he offered to
relieve me of my wraps: 'that unfortunate speech has strongly prejudiced
you against me. Confess, now, you think me a very disagreeable person,
because I happened to disagree with you that evening.'

'Certainly not on that account,' I returned, falling into the trap; and
then we both laughed, for I had as good as owned that I thought him
disagreeable. That laugh made us better friends. I felt I no longer
disliked him: it was certainly not his fault that Providence had given
him that type of face, and I supposed one could get used to it.

'I was in an evil mood that afternoon,' he went on, and then I k