"Keep your eyes open--that's what I mean. Girls, your father bade me please myself about tarrying a bit before I turned homeward. I doubt I'm not just as welcome to your grandmother as to you; but I think we shall do best to bide till we see if the others can come with us. Maybe Ephraim may be ready to go home by then, too. 'Tis a bad thing for a young man to get into idle habits." "O Aunt Kezia, Ephraim is not idle!" I cried. "Pray, who asked you to stand up for him, Miss?" replied my Aunt Kezia. "`A still tongue makes a wise head,' lass. I'll tell you what, I rather fancy Mrs Desborough thinks me rough above a bit. If I'm to be stroked alongside of these fine folks here, I shall feel rough, I've no doubt. That smart, plush fellow, with his silver clocks to his silk stockings, took up my basket as if he expected it to bite his fingers. We don't take hold of baskets that road in our parts. I haven't seen a pair of decent clogs since I passed Derby. They are all slim French finnicking pattens down here. How many of those fine lords-in-waiting have you in the house?" "Three, and a black boy, Aunt." "And how many maids?" "I must count. Lucette and Perkins, and the cook-maid, and the kitchen girl, four; and two chambermaids, six, and a seamstress, seven." "What, have you a mantua-maker all to yourselves?" "Oh, she does not make gowns; she only does plain sewing." "And two cook-maids, and two chambermaids, and two beside! Why, whatever in all the world can they find to do?" "Lucette is Grandmamma's woman, and Perkins is my Aunt Dorothea's," said I. "But what have they got to do? That's what I want to know," said my Aunt Kezia. "Well, Lucette gets up Grandmamma's laces and fine things," said I, "and quills the nett for her ruffles, and dresses her hair, and alters her gowns--" "What's that for?" said my Aunt Kezia. "When a gown has been worn two or three times," said Hatty, "they turn it upside down, Aunt, and put some fresh trimming on it, so that it looks like a new one." "But what for?" repeated my Aunt Kezia. "Why, then, you see, people don't remember that you had it on last week." "I'll be bound I should!" "We have very short memories in London," said Hatty, laughing. "Seems so! But why should not folks remember? I am fairly dumfoozled with it all. How any mortal woman can get along with four men and seven maids to look after, passes me. I find Maria and Bessy and Sam enough, I can tell you: too many sometimes. Mrs Desborough must be up early and down late; or does Mrs Charles see to things?" I began to laugh. The idea of Grandmamma "seeing to" anything, except fancy work and whist, was so extreme diverting. "Why, Aunt Kezia, nobody ever sees to anything here," said Hatty. "And do things get done?" asked my Aunt Kezia with uplifted eyebrows.