"Well, Thomas, how do _you_ like these new ways of going on?" asked Mary, the serious, stiff, time-dried, and smoke-dyed head-laundress--a personage of unknown antiquity, and who had been in the family ever since it was a family--addressing the fine powdered gentleman in silk stockings, and pink, white, and silver livery, who leaned negligently against the chimney-piece. "For my part, I'm glad, indeed, to see serious ways taken up in this house; but how will it suit the rest of you? And especially you, my fine young gentleman?" "Why," answered Thomas, assuming a grave and thoughtful aspect, "I'm going to confess something which will, perhaps, astonish you, Mistress Mary--and thus it is--if I'd been told twelve months ago that such new regulations were to be introduced into this household, I have very great doubts whether I could have made up my mind to have submitted to them; but within these few hours, d'ye see, there's been a change." "Bravo, Thomas!" said the butler; "a conversion like--I've heard of such things in my time." "Call it what you will, Mr. Buckminster, I call it a change--for a change there has been." "What! well! what!" from different voices round. "Do tell us all about it." "Why, Charles, you were there; and Mr. Buckminster, you were there too. But Charles is young and giddy; and Mr. Buckminster being always rather of the serious order, very probably the effect you see was not produced so strongly upon either of them as upon me." "What effect? Well--" "Why of the grace, as was said before they sat down to dinner." "The grace! Was it the first time you ever heard grace said, you booby?" "Yes, I'd heard grace said--I should suppose as often as any as may be here--though, perhaps, not so sensible to its importance and value as some present, meaning you, Mistress Mary. The general, for one, never used to omit it; but, save us! in what a scuffling careless manner it was said. I protest to you, I thought no more of it than of Mr. Buckminster taking off the covers and handing them to me. Just as a necessary preliminary, as they say, to the dinner, and nothing on earth more." "Well, do go on, Thomas. It's very _interesting_," said Mistress Mary, and the rest gathered closer, all attention.