Eliza went away with alacrity. Marian put off her bonnet and furs, and sat down before the fire to despond over the prospect of living in that shabby room, waited on by that slipshod Irish girl, who roused in her something very like racial antipathy. Presently Eliza returned, carrying a small tray, upon which she had crowded a lighted kerosene lamp, a china tea service, a rolled-up table cloth, a supply of bread and butter, and a copper kettle. When she had placed the lamp on the mantelpiece, and the kettle by the fire, she put the tray on the sofa, and proceeded to lay the cloth, which she shook from its folds and spread like a sail in the air by seizing two of the corners in her hands, and pulling them apart whilst she held the middle fold in her teeth. Then she adroitly wafted it over the table, making a breeze in which the lamp flared and Marian blinked. Her movements were very rapid; and in a few moments she had arranged the tea service, and was ready to withdraw. “My luggage will be sent here this evening or to-morrow, Eliza. Will you tell me when it comes?” “Yis, miss.” “You know that my name is _Mrs_. Forster, do you not?” “Mrs. Forster. Yis, miss.” Marian made no further attempt to get miss changed to maam; and Eliza left the room. As she crossed the landing, she was called by someone on the same floor. Marian started at the sound. It was a woman’s voice, disagreeably husky: a voice she felt sure she had heard before, and yet one that was not familiar to her. “Eliza. Eli-za!” Marian shuddered. “Yis, yis,” said Eliza, impatiently, opening a door. “Come here, alanna,” said the voice, with mock fondness. The door was then closed, and Marian could hear the murmur of the conversation which followed. It was still proceeding when Mrs. Myers came in. “I didnt ought to have left you to find your way up here alone, Mrs. Forster,” she said; “but I do have such worry sometimes that I’m bound to leave either one thing or another undone.” “It does not matter at all, Mrs. Myers. Your servant has been very attentive to me.” “The hired girl? She’s smart, she is—does everything right slick away. The only trouble is to keep her out of that room. She’s in there now. Unless I am always after her, she is slipping out on errands, pawning and buying drink for that unfortunate young creature.” “For whom?” “A person that Mrs. Crawford promised to tell you about.” “So she did,” said Marian. “But I did not know she was young.” “She’s older than you, a deal. I knew her when she was a little girl, and I often forget how old she is. She was the prettiest child! Even now she would talk you into anything. But I cant help her. It’s nothing but drink, drink, drink from morning til night. There’s Eliza coming out of her room. Eliza.” “Yis, maam,” said Eliza, looking in. “You stay in the house, Eliza, do you hear? I wont have you go out.” “Could I spake a word to you, maam?” said Eliza, lowering her voice. “No, Eliza. I’m engaged with Mrs. Forster.”