" repeated Mrs Greenow, as though she had not heard
her niece. "Only nine months!" After that Kate attempted to correct
no more such errors. "It happened in May, Miss," Jeannette said
afterwards to Miss Vavasor, "and that, as we reckons, it will be just
a twelvemonth come Christmas." But Kate paid no attention to this.

And Jeannette was very ungrateful, and certainly should have indulged
herself in no such sarcasms. When Mrs Greenow made a slight change in
her mourning, which she did on her arrival at Norwich, using a little
lace among her crapes, Jeannette reaped a rich harvest in gifts of
clothes. Mrs Greenow knew well enough that she expected more from
a servant than mere service;--that she wanted loyalty, discretion,
and perhaps sometimes a little secrecy;--and as she paid for these
things, she should have had them.

Kate undertook to stay a month with her aunt at Norwich, and Mrs
Greenow undertook that Mr Cheesacre should declare himself as Kate's
lover, before the expiration of the month. It was in vain that Kate
protested that she wanted no such lover, and that she would certainly
reject him if he came. "That's all very well, my dear," Aunt Greenow
would say. "A girl must settle herself some day, you know;--and you'd
have it all your own way at Oileymead."

But the offer certainly showed much generosity on the part of Aunt
Greenow, inasmuch as Mr Cheesacre's attentions were apparently paid
to herself rather than to her niece. Mr Cheesacre was very attentive.
He had taken the lodgings in the Close, and had sent over fowls and
cream from Oileymead, and had called on the morning after their
arrival; but in all his attentions he distinguished the aunt more
particularly than the niece. "I am all for Mr Cheesacre, Miss,"
said Jeannette once. "The Captain is perhaps the nicerer-looking
gentleman, and he ain't so podgy like; but what's good looks if a
gentleman hasn't got nothing? I can't abide anything that's poor;
neither can't Missus." From which it was evident that Jeannette gave
Miss Vavasor no credit in having Mr Cheesacre in her train.

Captain Bellfield was also at Norwich, having obtained some
quasi-military employment there in the matter of drilling volunteers.
Certain capacities in that line it may be supposed that he possessed,
and, as his friend Cheesacre said of him, he was going to earn an
honest penny once in his life. The Captain and Mr Cheesacre had made
up any little differences that had existed b