The morning light was struggling against the night shadows; it was still very early, so early that no one was astir, save a sleepy girl whose duty it was to light the kitchen-fire, and who was so startled by the sound of his bell that she let her sticks burn out without any coal while she went and stared at the bell-clapper as though there she could discover the reason for its early motion. As she looked it rang again, the master must be ill--what ought she to do? Rouse the cook and risk a furious scolding from her, or go and see what he wanted? While she was hesitating it rang a third time, and in her confusion she did both, she rushed into the cook's room and told her the bell was ringing like mad, and that Mr. Sandford was ill, and she fled upstairs in breathless haste, and knocked and went in, expecting to see her master on the floor in a fit, when she was quite prepared to throw her apron over her head and scream to the best of her ability. "What do you mean by keeping me waiting and not answering my bell?" he asked in a tone of fury. She was so surprised to find him able to speak at all that she held her tongue, and this was the best thing she could do. "I want writing materials and a cup of tea," he said. "Where is Robert?" "I believe he's in bed, sir, and Mrs. Chalmers, she is not up. I'll make some tea." "And what the ---- do I keep servants for, if they are all to lie in bed in the morning?" The girl, frightened by his manner, left his door wide open, and he had the satisfaction of hearing her call out to the head of the establishment: "Oh, Mrs. Chalmers, maister Sandford he's just very ill, and he is just lying there and cursing and swearing like anything." Mrs. Chalmers, fat, forty, but not fair, panted upstairs, raging at Robert for not being "at hand." Mr. Sandford repeated his wishes, and he added, "It's high time you had a mistress to look after you all, and you'll have one too." Down went Mrs. Chalmers, who was "that upset" she first sat down and had a cry, then she scolded the girl violently, making those general and vague accusations which are so much harder to bear than any that are definite; scolded Robert and the housemaid, who was used to it, and had too thick a skin to mind; and, the tea being made, she poured out the first cup for Mr. Sandford, which was less good than the second, which she took for herself; then she felt better and retired to her room, till the house was "right," and to reflect in silence upon the threat held over her of a mistress to keep all in order. It will be seen that all these things together combined to bring about two results--the peremptory command to Mrs. Dorriman, and an invitation to Grace and Margaret Rivers to consider Renton House as their home, at any rate for the present.