they did not take their butler with them, and the piper was sent round on Sunday morning to find out about the servants going to church.  And when he came to me, I said the same thing I had always said, and do you know that pink-headed Scotchman put it down in the book and carried it to my lady.  And when she read it, she was in a great rage, to be sure, and sent for me and wanted to know what I meant by such a message.  Then I told her I meant no offence by it, and that I didn’t think the idiot would put it down, but that I was too old to change my ways, and that if her ladyship wasn’t willing that I should keep on in them, she would have to dismiss me.  And then I curtsied and left her; and my lord, when he heard of it, got a new piper.  ‘For,’ said he, ‘a fool’s a dangerous thing to have in the house,’ and I stayed on two years.  So you see, Miss Miriam, that we are getting to the point,—­even my strait-laced lady made her opinions about church-going give way before high art in her cook.  For, as much as she might say against my creations and compositions, she had gotten so used to ’em, she couldn’t do without ’em.”

“Well,” said Miriam, “I suppose when the time comes I do not like everything as I do now, I shall care more for some things.  But I mustn’t sit here; I must go up to my sewing.”

“Miriam!” exclaimed Mrs. Drane, “what on earth are you working at?  Shutting yourself up, day after day, in your room, and at hours, too, when everything is so pleasant outside.  Cannot you bring out here what you are doing?”

“No,” said Miriam, “because it is a secret; but it is nearly finished, and as I shall have to tell you about it very soon, I may as well do it now:  I have been altering Judith Pacewalk’s teaberry gown for Cicely.  It was altered once for me, and that makes it all the harder to make it fit her now.  I am not very good at that sort of thing, and so it has taken me a long time.  I expected to have it ready for her when she came back from the wedding trip, but I could not do it.  I shall finish it to-day, however, and to-morrow I am going to invest her with it.  She is now the head of the house, and it is she who should wear the teaberry gown.  Don’t tell her, please, until to-morrow; I thought it would be nice to have a little ceremony about it, and in that case I shall have to have some one to help me.”

“It is very good of you, my dear,” said Mrs. Drane, “to think of such a thing, and Cicely and your brother will be delighted, I know, to find out what you think of this change of administration.  Ralph said to me the other day that he was afraid you were not altogether happy in yielding your place to another.  He had noticed that you had gotten into the habit of going off by yourself.”

Miriam laughed.

“Just wait until he hears the beautiful speech I am going to make to-morrow, and then he will see what a wise fellow he is.”