But in the afternoon, when things were in progress and looked promising, and Mrs. Challoner had had her nap, and was busy over some sleeves that they had given her to keep her quiet and satisfy her maternal conscience that she was helping her girls, Phillis did hear a little about Miss Drummond's visit. The sewing machine, which they worked by turns, had stopped for a time, and they were all three round the table, sewing and fixing as busily as possible: and Phillis, remembering Sir Galahad, dared not say she was tired, only she looked out on the lengthening shadows with delight, and thought about tea and an evening walk just to stretch her cramped muscles. And if one day seemed so long, how would a week of days appear before the blessed Sunday gave them a few hours of freedom? It was at this moment that Nan, with fine tact, broke the silence that was good for work, but was apt to wax drowsy in time: "Miss Milner's dress is getting on well. How fast you two girls work! and mammie is doing the sleeves beautifully. Another afternoon you must let the work rest, mammie, and read to us, or Phillis will get restive. By the bye, Dulce, we have not told her a word about Miss Drummond's visit." "No, indeed: was it not good of her to come so soon?" exclaimed Dulce. "She told us she wanted to be our first customer, and seemed quite disappointed when we said that we were bound in honor and mere gratitude to send Miss Milner's dress home first. 'Not that I am in a hurry for my dress, for nobody cares what I wear,' she said, quite cheerfully; 'but I wanted to be the first on your list.' I wish we could oblige her, for she is a nice, unaffected little thing, and I am beginning to like her, though she is a little fussy." "But she was as meek as a lamb about her dress," added Nan, who was a first-rate needle-woman, and could work rapidly while she talked. "Just fancy, Phil! she wanted to have a jacket with tabs and loose sleeves, just for comfort and coolness." "Loose sleeves and a jacket!" almost gasped Phillis, for the princess skirts were then worn, and jackets were consigned to oblivion for the time being. "I hope you told her, Nan, that we had never worked for Mrs. Noah, neither had Mrs. Shem ever honored us by her custom." "Well, no, Phillis; I was not quite so impertinent, and clever speeches of that sort never occur to me until you say them. But I told Miss Drummond that I could not consent to spoil her lovely dress in that way; and then she laughed and gave in, and owned she knew nothing about fashions, and that her sister Grace always ordered her clothes for her, because she chose such ugly things. She sat and chatted such a long time with us; she had only just gone when you came home."