One day when he went in he found his patient alone, and she explained to him that her ladyship had been there, but had gone away, saying she might be back in a little. "It was a thoughtless thing o' her to gang awa' and leave me my lane, after she had tell't Ann she might bide at her ain house for an hour," the old woman said, feeling injured; "but what can ye expect o' the like o' her?" "I'll stay till one or other of them comes," said the doctor; and he sat down by the bedside, and did _not_ listen to the history of Bell's last severe attack. His ears were at the door, and when he heard a movement outside he went and looked out; but it was only an old beggar-woman he saw, much bent with age and with her head pearled. She was the impersonation of clean, decent, thread-bare poverty: she had a plain snowy muslin mutch close round her face, which was small and wrinkled, and a black ribbon bound round her head, as the fashion used to be. A basket with some pins and tapes in it served as a kind of apology for her visit. When she saw the doctor she said, "Maybe ye wad tak some preens frae a puir auld body that can neither work nor want?" She spoke in a thin, shaky voice, and Dr. Brunton's compassion was moved. "Do you belong to this district?" he asked. "'Deed, div I, sir. Eh, but auld age and poverty are ill neighbors!" "You ought to be looked after: have you ever applied for relief?" "Frae the parish? Na, nane o' our family hae come to that yet, let me be thankfu', and I'll mak a fend without it." "Then how do you live?" "Ye may say that. Whiles the young leddies at the castle gie me a pickle tea or the like--that's the youngest ane, her they ca' Leddy Louisa: she's just an angel o' licht. Eh, if a' body was like her!" "I'll inquire into your case and see that something is done for your comfort." "Oh, mony thanks, sir! I'm no very able noo to travel wi' the basket. Eh, what time does! Little did I think I wad ever come to this." The doctor dropped a shilling into her hand, which, cased in a carefully-mended big coarse worsted glove, she held out: when she saw what she had got she bowed her head, overcome with thankfulness, and passed on. The doctor resumed his watch, and in a little he was rewarded: Lady Louisa came in. "If I had not promised Bell to look in again," she said, "I would not have been here. See, there's your shilling. If I worked as hard for my money as you do, I would not give it to every impostor: I don't do it, as it is." "I don't understand," he said. "You gave a shilling to an old woman at the door?" "Yes: was _she_ an impostor?" "Rank," said Lady Louisa; and she pulled a cap from her pocket, put it on her head, drew it close round her face, which she threw into age and wrinkles with marvelous effect, and looked at the doctor, shaking her head like the pearled old woman. "Didn't I give myself a high character?" she said, laughing. "It was the truth," the doctor said--"nothing but the truth."