together, and under which her eyes looked forth fiery and ominous. They fixed the new-comer with a steady stare of what seemed displeasure. "Good morning!" said Rotha. "Are you Mrs. Purcell?" "Who wants Mrs. Purcell?" was the gruff answer. "I was told that Mrs. Purcell is the name of the person who lives here?" "There's two folks lives here." "Yes," said Rotha, "I understood so. You and your husband work for Mrs. Busby, do you not?" "No," said the woman decidedly. "Us don't work for nobody. Us works for our ownselves;"--with an accent on the word "own." "This is Mrs. Busby's house?" "Yes, this is her house, I reckon." "And she pays you for taking care of it." "Who told you she does?" "Nobody told me; but I supposed it, of course." "She don't pay nothin'. Us pays her; that's how it is. Us pays her, for all us has; the land and the house and all." "I am Mrs. Busby's niece. Did she send you any word about me?" "Sent Joseph word--" said the woman mutteringly. "He said as some one was comin'. I suppose it's you. I mean, Mr. Purcell." "Then you expected me. Did Mrs. Busby tell you what you were to do with me?" "I didn't read the letter," said the woman, turning now from her examination of Rotha to take up her work, which had been washing up her breakfast dishes. "Joseph didn't tell me nothin'." "I suppose you know where to put me," said Rotha, getting a little out of patience. "I shall want a room. Where is it to be?" "_I_ don' know," said Mrs. Purcell, whose fingers were flying among her pots and dishes in a way that shewed laziness was no part of her character. "There aint no room but at the top o' the house. Joseph and me has the only room that's down stairs. I s'pose you wouldn't like one o' the parlours. The rest is all at the top." "Can I go to the parlour in the mean time, till my room is ready?--if it is not ready." "It aint ready. I never heerd you was comin', till last night. How was I to have the room ready? and I don' know which room it's to be." "Then can I go to the parlour? where is it?" "It's all the next floor. There's nothin' but parlours. You can go there if you like; but they aint been opened in a year. I never was in 'em but once or twice since I lived here." Rotha was in despair. She set her bag on one chair and placed herself on another, and waited. This was far worse even than her fears. O if she had but a little money, to buy this woman's civility! perhaps it could be bought. But she was thrown from one dependence to another; and now she was come to depend on this common person. She did not know what more to say; she could not do anything to propitiate her. She waited. "Have you had any breakfast?" said Mrs. Purcell, after some ten minutes had passed with no sound but that of her cups and plates taken up and set down. This went on briskly; Mrs. Purcell seemed to be an energetic worker. "Yes, thank you. I took breakfast at the hotel in Tanfield."