Nell of Shorne Mills

Mrs. Hubbard had been prepared to fight, or, at any rate, to display a

haughty stand-offishness; but she went down before the sweet face and

girlish voice, and, if the truth must be told, by a certain something in

Nell's eyes, which shone there when the _Annie Laurie_ was beating

before a contrary wind; a directness of gaze which indicated a spirit,

not easily quelled, lurking behind the dark-gray eyes.

Mrs. Hubbard instantly realized that this beautiful girl, young as she

was, was compounded of different material to the "old frumps" who had

preceded her, and whom Mrs. Hubbard had easily vanquished, and the old

lady changed her tactics with rather startling promptitude.

She conducted Nell over the large place; the footmen and maidservants

stood up, questionably at first, but respectfully in the end, and Nell

tried to grasp the extent of the responsibility which she had

undertaken.

"I think it all rests with you, Mrs. Hubbard," she said, as she sat in the

housekeeper's room, Mrs. Hubbard standing respectfully--respectfully!--in

front of her. "I am too young and inexperienced to run so large a place

without your help; but I think--I only think--I can do it, if you stand by

me. Will you do so? Yes, I think you will."

She looked up with the smile which had made slaves of all Shorne Mills

in her gray eyes, and Mrs. Hubbard was utterly vanquished.

"If you come to me every morning after breakfast, we can talk matters

over," said Nell, "and can decide between us what is to be done, and

what not to be done; but you must never forget, please, that I know so

little about anything."

And Mrs. Hubbard went back to the servants' hall with her mouth and her

eyes set firmly.

"Now, mind," she said, with an imperial dignity to the curious and

expectant servants, "there's to be no more goings-on from this time

forth. No more coming in by the area gate after eleven, and no more

parties in the servants' 'all when 'is lordship and ladyship is dining

out! An' I'll 'ave the bells answered the first time, an' no waitin'

till they're rung twice or three times, mind! An' if you want to see the

policeman, Mary Jane, you can slip out for five minutes; he don't come

into the house, you understan'!"

Little dreaming of the domestic reformation she had brought about, Nell

went back to her room, and resumed her endeavor to persuade herself that

she was not moving in a dream.

Presently a gong sounded, and, guessing that it rang for lunch, she went

down to the smaller dining room, in which Mrs. Hubbard had told her that

meal was usually served.