Marion found her path made easy by some of the tradesmen with whom she dealt, who were very accommodating to her wishes, and never in the least resented her subtle knowledge of ways and means, as they undoubtedly did in the case of some other of their customers' housekeepers of many years' standing and very much Marion's seniors in years! Mr. Calvesfoot, the butcher, for instance, let her have fat for rendering down at 2d. a pound, and so she was able to have a constant supply of excellent dripping for frying and for pastry at the slightest possible cost. She started her stock with four pounds at the beginning, and by straining it each time after using it, and by rendering down one and a half pounds of fresh fat each week and adding it to the stock, she always had plenty of good dripping. To do this she cut up the fat and put it in a saucepan with a little water, and then let it cook until the water had boiled away and the fat had melted, leaving nothing but crisp little brown bits; the liquid fat was strained off and the crisp brown bits saved for Abigail, by whom they were esteemed a great luxury. To others Mr. Calvesfoot was adamant, and declined to part with the fat under double the sum, but Marion (who was asked the extra price at first) refused to take "No" for an answer, and asked him calmly why he could not let her have it cheaply as well as the soap-boilers whose carts she had seen waiting before his shop early in the morning, and who she knew only gave him a penny a pound for it. At the exhibition of so much knowledge he was dumb, and fell in with her views with much meekness, as no doubt he would have done for his other customers if they had not allowed themselves to be beaten so weakly. She always provided a hot dinner as she found that, with proper management, it cost no more than a cold one, and it was infinitely more appreciated. She had learnt just how much was required of any given thing, and so there was no waste. The little that was left over from their dinner was always worked into the next day's meals, or else was finished up by Abigail on the alternate days when she had dinner at "The Rowans." Here we have the list of a week's dinners in February. On Sunday they had a light supper at half-past eight, consisting of cocoa, boiled eggs, and bread and butter. Saturday and Sunday were the only days on which they were at home to tea. The breakfast for the week, on non-porridge mornings, consisted of brawn, which Marion had made a fortnight before, when they had had half a pig's face sent them from the country. The brawn was excellently flavoured. DINNERS FOR THE WEEK. _Sunday._ Beef and Kidney Pie. Baked Potatoes. Pineapple in Syrup. Rice Mould. _Monday._ Cabbage Soup. Boiled Beef and Kidney Pudding. Boiled Potatoes. Cabbage. Jam Tarts. _Tuesday._ Irish Stew. Apple Pie. _Wednesday._ (High Tea Night.) Stuffed Herrings. Scones. Cocoa. _Thursday._