teps of their
elders. Penelope was now openly and defiantly a grown-up child. She
belonged to the schoolroom, although no schoolroom as yet existed at The
Dales. She defied nurse; she took her meals with her sisters, and pinched
baby whenever she found her alone. Miss Tredgold, however, took no notice
of the tears or smiles or groans or discontented looks. She had a great
deal to do, and she performed her tasks with rectitude and skill and
despatch. New furniture was ordered from Southampton. She drove to
Lyndhurst Road with Verena in the shabby trap which had first brought her
to The Dales. She went from there to Southampton and chose new furniture.
Verena could not help opening her eyes in amazement. Such very pretty
white bedsteads; such charming chests of drawers; such nice,
clean-looking carpets!

"Surely, Aunt Sophia," she said, "these things are not for us?"

"They certainly are, my dear," replied her aunt; "for in future I hope
you will live as a lady and a Christian, and no longer as a savage."

The furniture arrived, and was put into the rooms. Pretty white curtains
were placed at the windows; the paint was washed, and the paper rubbed
down with bread.

"Fresh decoration and repainting must wait until I get the children to
London for the winter," thought Aunt Sophia.

But notwithstanding the fact that paint and paper were almost
non-existent by this time at The Dales, the house assumed quite a new
air. As to Betty, she was in the most extraordinary way brought over
absolutely to Miss Tredgold's part of the establishment. Miss Tredgold
not only raised her wages on the spot, but paid her every farthing that
was due in the past. She spoke to her a good deal about her duty, and of
what she owed to the family, and of what she, Miss Tredgold, would do for
her if she proved equal to the present emergency. Betty began to regard
Miss Tredgold as a sort of marchioness in disguise. So interested was she
in her, and so sure that one of the real "haristocrats" resided on the
premises, that she ceased to read the _Family Paper_ except at long
intervals. She served up quite good dinners, and by the end of the
fortnight few people would have known The Dales. For not only was the
house clean and sweet--the drawing-room quite a charming old room, with
its long Gothic windows, its tracery of ivy outside, and its peep into
the distant rose-garden; the hall bright with great pots of flowers
standing about--but the girls thems