ouse.
She walked through the desolate rooms. It was now twilight, but no one
thought of lighting lamps, or drawing curtains, or shutting windows. Miss
Tredgold stumbled as she walked. Presently she found that she had
wandered in the neighborhood of the kitchen. She had no intention of
bearding Betty in her den--she had no idea that there was a Betty--but as
she was near the kitchen, and as under that doorway alone there streamed
a light, she opened the door.

"Is there any one inside?" she asked.

A grunt in the far distance came by way of response. The fire was out in
the stove, and as Miss Tredgold grew accustomed to the gloom she saw in
the farthest corner something that resembled the stout form of a woman,
whose legs rested on one chair and her body on another. A guttering dip
candle was close to her side, and a paper book was held almost under her
nose.

"I am sorry to disturb you," said Miss Tredgold, "but I have come for a
light. Will you kindly inform me where I can get a candle?"

"There ain't none in the house."

The book was put down, and the angry face of Betty appeared to view.

"Then I fear I must trouble you to resign the one you yourself are using.
I must have a light to see my way to my bedroom."

"There ain't no candles. We don't have 'em in summer. This one I bought
with my own money, and I don't give it up to nobody, laidy or no laidy."

"Am I addressing the cook?"

"You are, ma'am. And I may as well say I am cook and housemaid and
parlor-maid and kitchen-maid and scullery-maid all in one; and I does the
laundry, too, whenever it's done at all. You may gather from my words,
ma'am, that I have a deal to do, so I'll thank you to walk out of my
kitchen; for if I am resting after my day of hard work, I have a right to
rest, and my own candle shall light me, and my own book shall amuse me.
So have the goodness to go, ma'am, and at once."

"I will go," replied Miss Tredgold very quietly, "exactly when I please,
and not a moment before. I wish to say now that I require breakfast to be
on the table at nine o'clock, and there must be plenty of good food. Do
you mean to say that you have not got food in the house? You can, I
presume, send out for it. Here is a half-sovereign. Spend it in what is
necessary in order to provide an abundant meal on the table to-morrow
morning for the use of Mr. Dale, myself, and my nieces."

What Betty would have said had there been no half-sovereign forthcoming
histo