"It's a pleasure to perform your commands, Miss Johns. I'll give you the whole bill of fare. There's a very fine beefsteak, fricasseed chickens, stewed oysters, sliced ham, cheese, preserved quinces--with the usual complement of bread and toast and muffins, and doughnuts, and new-year cake, and plenty of butter, likewise salt and pepper, likewise tea and coffee and sugar, likewise----" "Hush!" said the girl. "Do stop, will you?" and then laughing and turning to Miss Timmins, she added, "What will you have?" "I guess I'll have some of the chickens and oysters," said Timmins; "that will be the nicest for her, and a muffin or two." "Now, James, do you hear?" said the chambermaid; "I want you to get me now, right away, a nice little supper of chickens and oysters and a muffin--it's for a lady upstairs. Be as quick as you can." "I should be very happy to execute impossibilities for you, Miss Johns; but Mrs. Custers is at the table herself." "Very well--that's nothing; she'll think it's for somebody upstairs--and so it is." "Ay, but the upstairs people is Tim's business--I should be hauled over the coals directly." "Then ask Tim, will you? How slow you are! Now, James, if you don't I won't speak to you again." "Till to-morrow? I couldn't stand that. It shall be done, Miss Johns, instantum." Bowing and smiling, away went James, leaving the girls giggling on the staircase and highly gratified. "He always does what I want him to," said the good-humoured chambermaid; "but he generally makes a fuss about it first. He'll be back directly with what you want." Till he came, Miss Timmins filled up the time with telling her new friend as much as she knew about Ellen and Ellen's hardships, with which Miss Johns was so much interested that she declared she must go up and see her; and when James in a few minutes returned with a tray of nice things, the two women proceeded together to Mrs. Dunscombe's room. Ellen had moved so far as to put herself on the floor with her head on the cushion for a pillow, but she was as sound asleep as ever. "Just see now!" said Timmins; "there she lies on the floor--enough to give her her death of cold. Poor child, she's tired to death, and Mrs. Dunscombe made her walk up from the steamboat to-night rather than do it herself; I declare I wished the coach would break down, only for the other folks. I am glad I have got a good supper for her though--thank _you_, Miss Johns." "And I'll tell you what, I'll go and get you some nice hot tea," said the chambermaid, who was quite touched by the sight of Ellen's little pale face. "Thank you," said Timmins, "you're a darling. This is as cold as a stone." While the chambermaid went forth on her kind errand, Timmins stooped down by the little sleeper's side. "Miss Ellen!" she said; "Miss Ellen! wake up, dear--wake up and get some supper--come! you'll feel a great deal better for it; you shall sleep as much as you like afterwards."