RELICS AND A WELCOME.
Mrs. Cameron’s house in Bath was decidedly old-fashioned. It was a large, solemn, handsome mansion; its windows shone from constant cleaning; its paint was always fresh, its Venetian blinds in perfect order.
When a certain wild, untidy, almost disreputable-looking girl ran up its snow-white steps, and rang its highly polished brass bell, the neat parlor maid who answered her summons stared at her, and doubted a good deal if Mrs. Cameron could see her.
“You had better step into the hall for a moment,” said the maidservant, “and I’ll inquire if my missis is at leisure; but if it’s the new housemaid’s place you’ve come after——”
Flower gasped; she drew herself up, raised her hand, and took off her small black velvet cap.
“You forget yourself!” she said, with a haughtiness which did not ill become her, notwithstanding her untidy and dishevelled state. “My name is Flower Dalrymple, and I have come from Sleepy Hollow. Please let your mistress know directly.”
The parlor maid, who saw her mistake, was profuse in apologies.
She showed Flower into a dismal-looking dining room, and went upstairs.
“Who is it, Ann?” asked an anxious voice as she prepared to ascend the richly-carpeted stairs.
A door was opened at the end of the passage, and a fusty, dusty-looking little man put in an appearance.