For Dorothy, she felt hatred at the first glance. Young, good and beautiful--that was enough to make her wish to do her any ill turn that lay in her power. How easy it would be to make her vain proud mistress jealous of this handsome girl. What fun to set them by the ears together. Had she only known that Gilbert had recently been the lover of the girl, whose noble appearance created such envy in her breast, the breach between him and his wife would sooner have been accomplished than even her cunning anticipated. She was rather afraid of old Rushmere, whom she perceived was as obstinate and contradictory as herself. But he could be flattered. She had proved that the hardest and coldest natures are more vulnerable to this powerful weapon than others. Martha Wood, the damsel whose portrait we have attempted to draw, stepped down into the kitchen to perform a task she abhorred, and wash the pampered pet, whose neck she longed to wring, and some day, when a favourable opportunity occurred, she had determined to do it. "Are you the kitchen girl?" she said to Polly, who she saw was an easy going, good-natured creature. "That's what I'se be." "What queer English you speak," said Martha, dropping her fat bulk into a chair. "It's the fashion here. Your master and mistress speak the same." "I do'ant know what a' means," said Polly, pouring the water off the potatoes. "My master an' mistress are moighty kind folk, I can tell yer." "Oh, I dare say, but London is the place for girls to live well, and get well paid." "I do'ant care for the pay, so I be well fed an' comfortable," responded Polly. Then happening to cast her eyes upon Jewel, she exclaimed. "La! what be that?" "A lap dog." "What sort o' a dawg? a' looks for a' the world loike a bundle o' wool. A fooney dawg," and she ventured to touch its head with her forefinger; "wu'll a' bite?" "Bite, no he has not spunk in him to do that. I want you to give him a bath." "A what." "Put him in a tub of warm water, and wash him with soap and a flannel." "Wash a dawg wi' warm water. I'll see him drownded in it, fust," said Polly retreating to her potatoes. "I never washed a dawg in a' my life." "Do it for me this once, there's a dear kind creature," cried Martha, coaxingly, who wanted to establish a precedent and get the brute by degrees off her own hands. "I am so tired with my long journey." "Tired wi' riding all night in a grand coach," laughed Polly, "a' only wish a' had sich a chance." "Will you wash Jewel for me, there's a good girl?" "No, a' won't," cried Polly, standing on her dignity. "Sich jobs belong to Lunnon servants. Us country folk be above stooping to sich dirty work. A' wud put soap inter's eyes, 'an choak um', by letting the water get down un's throat." "Get me some warm water then, an' a piece of soap," said Martha sulkily. "Yer must get it yersel, for a' must hurry up with the taters." The crafty Martha found for once, the simple country girl had got the master of her.