“For whom?”

“A person that Mrs. Crawford promised to tell you about.”

“So she did,” said Marian.  “But I did not know she was young.”

“She’s older than you, a deal.  I knew her when she was a little girl, and I often forget how old she is.  She was the prettiest child!  Even now she would talk you into anything.  But I cant help her.  It’s nothing but drink, drink, drink from morning til night.  There’s Eliza coming out of her room.  Eliza.”

“Yis, maam,” said Eliza, looking in.

“You stay in the house, Eliza, do you hear?  I wont have you go out.”

“Could I spake a word to you, maam?” said Eliza, lowering her voice.

“No, Eliza.  I’m engaged with Mrs. Forster.”

“She wants to see you,” whispered Eliza.

“Go downrs, Eliza, this minute.  I wont see her.”

“Mrs. Myers,” cried the voice.  Marian again shrank from the sound.  “Mrs. My-ers.  Aunt Sally.  Come to your poor Soozy.”  Mrs. Myers looked perplexedly at Marian.  The voice resumed after a pause, with an affected Yankee accent, “I guess I’ll raise a shine if you dont come.”

“I must go,” said Mrs. Myers.  “I promise you, Mrs. Forster, she shall not annoy you.  She shall go this week.  It aint right that you should be disturbed by her.”

Mrs. Myers went into the other room.  Eliza ran downrs, and Marian heard her open the house door softly and go out.  She also heard indistinctly the voices of the landlady and her lodger.  After a time these ceased, and she drank her tea in peace.  She was glad that Mrs. Myers did not return, although she made no more comfortable use of her solitude than to think of her lost home in Holland Park, comparing it with her dingy apartment, and pressing her handkerchief upon her eyes when they became too full of tears.  She had passed more than an hour thus when Eliza roused her by announcing the arrival of the luggage.  Thereupon she bestirred herself to superintend its removal to her bedroom, where she unpacked a trunk which contained her writing-case and some books.  With these were stowed her dresses, much miscellaneous finery, and some handsomely worked underclothing.  Eliza, standing by, could not contain her admiration; and Marian, though she did not permit her to handle the clothes, had not the heart to send her away until she had seen all that the trunk contained.  Marian heard her voice afterward in the apartment of the drunken lodger, and suspected from its emphasis that the girl was describing the rare things she had seen.

Marian imparted some interest to her surroundings that evening by describing them in a letter to Elinor.  When she had finished, she was weary; and the fire was nearly out.  She looked at her watch, and, finding to her surprise that is was two hours after midnight, rose to go to bed.  Before leaving the room, she stood for a minute before the old-fashioned pier-glass, with one foot on the fender, and looked at her image, pitying her own weariness, and enjoying the soft beauty of her face and the gentleness of her expression.  Her appearance did not always please her; but on this occasion the mirror added so much to the solace she had found in writing to Elinor, that she felt almost happy as she took the lamp to light her to her bedroom.