A peculiar smile distorted Miss Shale’s full red lips.  Without another word she mounted her machine and rode away up the elm avenue.

Now Mrs. Rockett had seen this encounter, and heard the words exchanged:  she was lost in consternation.

’What do you mean by behaving like that, May?  Why, I was running out myself to open, and then I saw you were there, and, of course, I thought you’d do it.  There’s the second time in two days Miss Shale has had to complain about us.  How could you forget yourself, to behave and speak like that!  Why, you must be crazy, my girl!’

‘I don’t seem to get on very well here, mother,’ was May’s reply.  ’The fact is, I’m in a false position.  I shall go to-morrow morning, and there won’t be any more trouble.’

Thus spoke Miss Rockett, as one who shakes off a petty annoyance—­she knew not that the serious trouble was just beginning.  A few minutes later Mrs. Rockett went up to the Hall, bent on humbly apologising for her daughter’s impertinence.  After being kept waiting for a quarter of an hour she was admitted to the presence of the housekeeper, who had a rather grave announcement to make.

’Mrs. Rockett, I’m sorry to tell you that you will have to leave the lodge.  My lady allows you two months, though, as your wages have always been paid monthly, only a month’s notice is really called for.  I believe some allowance will be made you, but you will hear about that.  The lodge must be ready for its new occupants on the last day of October.’

The poor woman all but sank.  She had no voice for protest or entreaty—­a sob choked her; and blindly she made her way to the door of the room, then to the exit from the Hall.

‘What in the world is the matter?’ cried May, hearing from the sitting-room, whither she had retired, a clamour of distressful tongues.

She came into the kitchen, and learnt what had happened.

‘And now I hope you’re satisfied!’ exclaimed her mother, with tearful wrath.  ’You’ve got us turned out of our home—­you’ve lost us the best place a family ever had—­and I hope it’s a satisfaction to your conceited, overbearing mind!  If you’d tried for it you couldn’t have gone to work better.  And much you care!  We’re below you, we are; we’re like dirt under your feet!  And your father’ll go and end his life who knows where miserable as miserable can be; and your sister’ll have to go into service; and as for me—­’

‘Listen, mother!’ shouted the girl, her eyes flashing and every nerve of her body strung.  ’If the Shales are such contemptible wretches as to turn you out just because they’re offended with me, I should have thought you’d have spirit enough to tell them what you think of such behaviour, and be glad never more to serve such brutes!  Father, what do you say?  I’ll tell you how it was.’

She narrated the events of the afternoon, amid sobs and ejaculations from her mother and Betsy.  Rockett, who was just now in anguish of lumbago, tried to straighten himself in his chair before replying, but sank helplessly together with a groan.