The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1878-08-07

tte1?"
/ Still Ellen demurred. Her lette
was her own, and It was plain tha
Eilea wished to do with her owl
what she pleased, and be subject t,
no o1e's control But Sir John wa
tirm, or, if You like it, obstinate and
after some hesitation, and with ev
ident reluctance, Ellen yielded
mind. you give me your word an,
honor to obey mo in al these in
functions said Sir John.
"Ies, sir, do"
i well, then, repeat them for me.
Ellen did as she was bid, and sh,
went through the series of Sir JohE
Pe,cy's behests with precision an,
correctness that pleased him very
highly.
"The housekeeper shall show yol
your room,h be said, ringing the bell
''and, when you are rested, you cal
begin your duties"
j The housekeeper was very sour
locking lady, and, having little caus,
to be pleased with the step Sir Johr
had taken, she treated Ellen with +,
superciliousness which the girl hat
the good sense to ignore. She ha,
come to gil difficult position, aad il
was useless to quarrel with its iney
table troubles. Presently she came
down in a lilac print dress, will
pla n white collar and sleeves, look
ing so trim and neat that Sir Johr
was quite pleased with his new ac
quisitioD. He made her sit in the
bowwindow which commanded o
view of the stree; door; be again
rang for Mrs. Long, and requested
her to provide Ellen with some darn
ing or mending or making, as she
pleased, and, having seen this order
executed, and Ellens little hand dive
into deep basket and come forth
with pair Of his own stockings, he
left her, ehuekiing and rubbing bis
hands, with a Now we shall see. y
But alas what was glee and hope
to him was darkness and tribulation
to Nelly This gloomy London par
lor, looking out on gloomy London
street, filled her heart with desola-
tion. She had parted that morning
with the widowed mother, who had
reared her through much poverty and
sorrow; while the little sister, who
clung to her, alternately kicking or
weeping, as her grief prompted with
the true-hearted fellow who had low
ed her years so faithfulIy-she had
left them ell for this strange place,
and this strange house, and on when
should she see them again? Not for
six months, perhaps perhaps not for
year. She had done all that for q
little money, tempted by Sir job /
Percy's liberal wages but it WAS
hard, very hard, and Nelly felt il
keenly. She also felt the change
from the country to town How
grim looked those brick houses, with
their yellow blinds half drawn down;
what prison air they had, with
iron ratings guarding them Nelly
had been reared in cottage, with
green fields around it. She had been
servant in pretty villa standing
10 its own grounds. The little town
where her lover lived had a garden
and an orchard to almost every one
of its dwellings And then the lanes,
the delicious hawthorn lanes, where
they had walked together the very
day before this, with Nelly's little
sister Jane romping around them,
and filling her pinafore with butter
cups and daisies these lanes haunted
poor Nelly as she sat and mended
Sir Johns stockings Should she
ever hear the nightingale sing again,
as it sang last night ON that lime
tree which smelled so sweet But
postman's knock came to the door.
Up jumped Nelly, and away few the
dream-lane, lime-tree, nightingale,
and all She went and opened it +;
three letters were put in her hand,
and, closing the door carefully, Nelly
went up with these letters to Sir
John, who happened to be within.
"All right" he said, "but l am
afraid it is not ell right" he added,
abruptly. you have been crying
Have these women already begun
worrying you ?"
Hotspur was up and ready for
war, and Nelly fastened to assure
him that no one bad said word to
her-in fact, that she had not seen a
soul since he had left her in the par
lor
"Then what are you crying for 2"
he asked, looking injured
II parted with them all this morn
ing, Sir, and this being he first time,
and the first day, too, it seems lit
tie hard"
at is hard" confessed Sir John,
"but time will comfort you, or at least
enable you to bear it."
In her quiet way, Nelly said she
hoped so, and she went back to the
parlor and to her darning
Poor Nelly she soon had other
troubles besides those of separation
and remembrance The housekeep-
er, the cook, and the house-maid
combined to make her life wretched.
Mrs. Long found fault with Nelly's
sewing, and was bitter on the sub
iect of her darns. "There never had
been SUCH" she declared. Nelly felt
this acutely. Remember how old
and universal an accomplishment
darning is, aud then imagine, if you
can, what it is to be singled cut
among all past and present darners
as the very worst of the lot. 1t was
enough to crush Nelly's spirit for
ever. The cook said nothing
"Deeds, not words" doubtless was
her motto but she made it a rule to
make Nelly eat what she disliked.
Nelly hated fat, and Nelly got moth
ing but fat meat Nelly disliked York.
shire pudding, and Yorkshire pud-
ding became rule in Sir Johns
kitchen. The house.maid, too,
would not be behindband.. 1t had
been her duty to receive the letters
and to attend the door. Not being
now allowed to do the one, she loft
ily resolved not to do the other. But
Nelly, who had been quiet hitherto,
and scorned TO complain, now rebell-
ed, and showed some spirit. 1T was