Mr. Trevor had made it his invariable rule to pay his bills weekly, and his daughter kept his household accounts. Emmie was startled at the amount of the bills now run up by the butcher and grocer who served the family at Myst Court. The young lady mustered up courage one day to express to Hannah her surprise at the heavy expense incurred at a time when the household was not large, and there was no entertaining of guests. Hannah had found out from the first her lady's weakness, and had laughingly observed to Lizzy, "The way to manage young miss is to flare up at the first word; she don't dare to bring out a second." Hannah did not fail to put her tactics into practice on the present occasion. "I don't know what you mean by expense, miss," she growled out, like a surly dog ready to snap; "Mrs. Jessel must have what she wants for the poor, and it's a lot as her basket holds; one can't fill it with soap-suds or shavings!" Emmie retreated discomfited from the kitchen, and with a mortified, downcast look carried the tradesmen's books to her father. Mr. Trevor was in his study, writing out a statement to his lawyer of the wrong inflicted on some of his tenants by the dye-works of Messrs. Bullen and Co. "I am sorry to interrupt you, papa," said Emmie, as, after gently closing the door behind her, she approached the table at which her father was seated, "but I am afraid that I shall want more money to pay these bills." "You told me that you had enough," observed Mr. Trevor, looking up from his writing, with his ready-dipped pen in his hand. "I thought so, till I saw the amount of the bills," and, as she spoke, Emmie placed the open books on the desk before her father. "This is absurd!" cried Mr. Trevor, after a rapid glance at the summings-up; "Hannah must either be dishonest or wasteful. We appear to live at more expense than we did at Summer Villa, where we had far more comfort, and had friends to share our meals. You must speak to Hannah, my love." "I have spoken to her," replied Emmie. "Hannah accounts for the expense by the quantity of food which Mrs. Jessel takes to the poor." "I hope that you keep a sharp look-out after that woman," observed Mr. Trevor gravely. "It passes my comprehension why you should ever employ her at all to visit the tenants." Emmie was ashamed to answer what was the truth,--"I did so because I did not dare to visit them myself." "There seems to be no end to the drains upon my purse at present," said Mr. Trevor, leaning back on his chair; "workmen to pay in the house, fields to drain, county-hospital and schools to assist, and two law-suits looming before me! Vibert came to me for more money to-day. How that boy runs through his allowance! I thought that when he was beyond reach of London amusements, he would be able to draw in a little; and, after arranging for his meals with his tutor, I never expected to have to pay hotel-bills for my son."