'Not quite in a good temper, Tattycoram?' suggested Mr Meagles,

shaking his head at the dark eyes with a quiet caution. 'Take a little

time--count five-and-twenty, Tattycoram.'

She pressed her lips together again, and took a long deep breath.

'So she wrote to me to say that if I ever felt myself hurt,' she looked

down at her young mistress, 'or found myself worried,' she looked down

at her again, 'I might go to her, and be considerately treated. I was

to think of it, and could speak to her by the church. So I went there to

thank her.' 'Tatty,' said her young mistress, putting her hand up over her shoulder

that the other might take it, 'Miss Wade almost frightened me when we

parted, and I scarcely like to think of her just now as having been so

near me without my knowing it. Tatty dear!'

Tatty stood for a moment, immovable. 'Hey?' cried Mr Meagles. 'Count another five-and-twenty, Tattycoram.' She might have counted a dozen, when she bent and put her lips to the

caressing hand. It patted her cheek, as it touched the owner's beautiful

curls, and Tattycoram went away. 'Now there,' said Mr Meagles softly, as he gave a turn to the

dumb-waiter on his right hand to twirl the sugar towards himself.

'There's a girl who might be lost and ruined, if she wasn't among

practical people. Mother and I know, solely from being practical, that

there are times when that girl's whole nature seems to roughen itself

against seeing us so bound up in Pet. No father and mother were bound

up in her, poor soul. I don't like to think of the way in which that

unfortunate child, with all that passion and protest in her, feels when

she hears the Fifth Commandment on a Sunday. I am always inclined to

call out, Church, Count five-and-twenty, Tattycoram.'

Besides his dumb-waiter, Mr Meagles had two other not dumb waiters in

the persons of two parlour-maids with rosy faces and bright eyes, who

were a highly ornamental part of the table decoration. 'And why not, you

see?' said Mr Meagles on this head. 'As I always say to Mother, why

not have something pretty to look at, if you have anything at all?' A

certain Mrs Tickit, who was Cook and Housekeeper when the family were

at home, and Housekeeper only when the family were away, completed the

establishment. Mr Meagles regretted that the nature of the duties in

which she was engaged, rendered Mrs Tickit unpresentable at present,

but hoped to introduce her to the new visitor to-morrow. She was an

important part of the Cottage, he said, and all his friends knew her.




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