“That is my affair. You wished me to choose between the services of an underpaid governess and those of an overpaid servant. I have chosen.” “Overpaid! My services overpaid! My services can’t be overpaid!” she hissed out. “As long as you joined discretion to your other undoubted good qualities, I paid you according to that estimate. Now that you let yourself be swayed beyond all bounds of prudence by trifling feelings of jealousy and spite, like a foolish girl, your value runs down to that level. You are no longer a girl, Sarah, and your position is changed in many ways since then, in most for the better. If you cannot accept the changes quietly, you had better go.” “And you would let me go--for a new-comer?” said the woman passionately. “I cannot think of sending away any member of my household for the caprice of any other member of it, however valuable a servant she may have been--” “May have been--may have been! My work is not over yet, and, if I don’t work for you, I’ll work against you,” she broke out in a fury. “I’ll--” “Not so fast, not so fast,” said he slowly. “You will find that up-hill work when you have to deal with me, Sarah Gooch.” He spoke in the hard tone I had heard him use once or twice before--a tone which always made me shudder. Then his voice changed suddenly to a genial, almost caressing tone. “Now do you think you will be able to get on without me as well as I can without you?” There was a pause. Then I heard Sarah burst into sobs and low passionate cries for pity, for forgiveness. “Why are you so hard? How can you have the heart to talk like that about my services, as if I was too old for anything but money-bargains? That chit, that Christie girl, that you put before me, will never serve you like I’ve done.” “The services of a governess are not the same as those of a servant. That is enough about Miss Christie, Sarah.” “Enough and welcome about the little flirt--a creature that keeps diamonds from one man in her desk, and wears round her neck a letter from another which she kisses on the sly! Oh, I’ve seen her, the little--” “Nonsense!” said Mr. Rayner sharply. “And what if she does? It is no business of mine.” I heard him rise hastily from his chair and walk across the room; and I fled past like a hare. Trembling and panting, I found my way to the hall table, took out of the box there half a dozen matches, and crept guiltily, miserably upstairs. I had listened, as if chained to the spot, to their talk, and it was only now that I had fled for fear of discovery that I reflected on what a dishonorable thing I had done.