A woman older, less comely than Janet, and having the smirk of a perfunctory greeting upon her flabby face, stood within the room assigned to Mistress Katherine.  As her eyes fell upon the maid, she stepped back surprised, and with a confusion she essayed to hide in her coarse voiced acknowledgment of their presence.

“The child, madam, where’s the child? ’is Ludship sent me to take charge of the hinfant and ’er nurse.”

Janet’s voice rang like steel as she said,—­“Thou canst fondle me to thy heart’s content, but the ‘hinfant his’ a maiden grown and well able to look after her own swathings; ’twould better serve thee and us to get thee below and prepare thine ‘hinfant’ grown some meat and wine with etceteras, and plenty of them, for she hath a lusty and ever-present appetite.  But stay, where wilt thou cradle thy babe’s nurse, in this room beyond the closet?” With a superhuman effort, as it were,—­the woman, confident of the importance of her position, and the forbearance such an one should have in dealing with the less consequential,—­suppressed her choler and raised her eyebrows, and spoke with the coldness of her betters.

“Thou wilt sleep there for a time, at least until ’is Ludship’s guests ’ave gone; the nurseries ‘ave been turned into guests’ rooms,—­’is Ludship ’as Royalty beneath ’is roof and bade me take the—­the child to the furth’rest room and keep hits squawking ’ushed!” With a deprecating gesture, she shuffled from the room.

’Twas a great square apartment, with low ceiling, a small hearthstone and an immense bedstead with tester and outer coverings of flowered chintz.  The light from the two small candles upon the high mantel-shelf were dimmed by the greater light from the hearth.

With a long, heavy sigh, which ended in a quiet half-hearted laugh, Katherine flung herself back in a huge chair and said,—­

“Art not afraid to lash tongues with a trusted servant of my Lord Cedric?  She may give thee an ill name.”

“Nay, rather, if I had boxed’ er hears’ ’twould have been better.  Indeed, if thou hadst been absent I should have brawled it with her.  ‘Ludship’—­’tis the cant of a pot house wench,—­’is Ludship’ to me, who has been consorting with Sister Agnes and Phelia and Drusah and the Mother Superior of the Ursuline.  Wilt let me dress thee now?”

“Nay, Janet, I will cleanse my face and hands, have my supper—­for I’m nearly famished, and jump into yonder bed that hath a lid—­”

“Why, Lambkin, that is a tester, ’tis the first thou hast seen!  But, Lambkin, I would have thee don thy pretty white dress and go down to more cheerful surroundings.”

“Nay, Janet, I could not raise courage.  Have my supper brought up!”

“My blessed Lambkin, I will take thee down and see that they give thee proper food for thy coach-jostled stomach.  Thou shalt have a room and table to thyself.  I’ll see to it.  I thought upon it coming up to this sky-begotten chamber.  The toddy would freeze stiff and the pheasants grow to clamminess on so long and frigid a journey.  I will dress thee and then will find my way down and make things ready for thy comfort and privacy.”