"Yes; I know there will. But I shall endeavour to find out what he likes."
"I don't think he is so particular about his eating and drinking as some other gentlemen; though no doubt he will like his things nice."
"I know he is fond of strong tea, and I sha'n't forget that."
"And about dress. He is not very rich you know, Mary; but it will make him unhappy if you are not always tidy. And his own shirts—I fancy he has no one to look after them now, for I so often see the buttons off. You should never let one of them go into his drawers without feeling them all to see that they're on tight."
"I'll remember that," said Mary, and then she made another little furtive attempt to open the book.
"And about your own stockings, Mary. Nothing is so useful to a young woman in your position as a habit of darning neat. I'm sometimes almost afraid that you don't like darning."
"Oh yes I do." That was a fib; but what could she do, poor girl, when so pressed?
"Because I thought you would look at Jane Robinson's and Julia Wright's which are lying there in the basket. I did Rebecca's myself before tea, till my old eyes were sore."
"Oh, I didn't know," said Mary, with some slight offence in her tone. "Why didn't you ask me to do them downright if you wanted?"
"It's only for the practice it will give you."