Now this particular morning it happened that Milly was quite too poorly to get up, and Mr. Barton observed to Nanny, on going out, that he would call and tell Mr. Brand to come.  These circumstances were already enough to make Nanny anxious and susceptible.  But the Countess, comfortably ignorant of them, came down as usual about eleven o’clock to her separate breakfast, which stood ready for her at that hour in the parlour; the kettle singing on the hob that she might make her own tea.  There was a little jug of cream, taken according to custom from last night’s milk, and specially saved for the Countess’s breakfast.  Jet always awaited his mistress at her bedroom door, and it was her habit to carry him down stairs.

‘Now, my little Jet,’ she said, putting him down gently on the hearth-rug, ‘you shall have a nice, nice breakfast.’

Jet indicated that he thought that observation extremely pertinent and well-timed, by immediately raising himself on his hind-legs, and the Countess emptied the cream-jug into the saucer.  Now there was usually a small jug of milk standing on the tray by the side of the cream, and destined for Jet’s breakfast, but this morning Nanny, being ‘moithered’, had forgotten that part of the arrangements, so that when the Countess had made her tea, she perceived there was no second jug, and rang the bell.  Nanny appeared, looking very red and heated—­the fact was, she had been ‘doing up’ the kitchen fire, and that is a sort of work which by no means conduces to blandness of temper.  ’Nanny, you have forgotten Jet’s milk; will you bring me some more cream, please?’

This was just a little too much for Nanny’s forbearance.  ’Yes, I dare say.  Here am I wi’ my hands full o’ the children an’ the dinner, and missis ill a-bed, and Mr. Brand a-comin’; and I must run o’er the village to get more cream, ’cause you’ve give it to that nasty little blackamoor.’

‘Is Mrs. Barton ill?’

‘Ill—­yes—­I should think she is ill, an’ much you care.  She’s likely to be ill, moithered as she is from mornin’ to night, wi’ folks as had better be elsewhere.’

‘What do you mean by behaving in this way?’

‘Mean?  Why I mean as the missis is a slavin’ her life out an’ a-sittin’ up o’nights, for folks as are better able to wait of her, i’stid o’ lyin’ a-bed an’ doin’ nothin’ all the blessed day, but mek work.’

‘Leave the room and don’t be insolent.’

‘Insolent!  I’d better be insolent than like what some folks is,—­a-livin’ on other folks, an’ bringin’ a bad name on ’em into the bargain.’

Here Nanny flung out of the room, leaving the lady to digest this unexpected breakfast at her leisure.