“There was another young woman in the room—­a tall fine woman as ever you saw—­that looked very angry and contempshious at Mrs. T. and me, and said, ’I’ve brought a letter from the duchess whose daughter I nust; and I think, Mrs. Blenkinsop, mem, my Lady Tiptoff may look far before she finds such another nuss as me.  Five feet six high, had the small-pox, married to a corporal in the Lifeguards, perfectly healthy, best of charactiers, only drink water; and as for the child, ma’am, if her Ladyship had six, I’ve a plenty for them all.’

“As the woman was making this speech, a little gentleman in black came in from the next room, treading as if on velvet.  The woman got up, and made him a low curtsey, and folding her arms on her great broad chest, repeated the speech she had made before.  Mrs. T. did not get up from her chair, but only made a sort of a bow; which, to be sure, I thought was ill manners, as this gentleman was evidently the apothecary.  He looked hard at her and said, ’Well, my good woman, and are you come about the place too?’

“‘Yes, sir,’ says she, blushing.

“’You seem very delicate.  How old is your child?  How many have you had?  What character have you?’

“Your wife didn’t answer a word; so I stepped up, and said, ‘Sir,’ says I, ’this lady has just lost her first child, and isn’t used to look for places, being the daughter of a captain in the navy; so you’ll excuse her want of manners in not getting up when you came in.’

“The doctor at this sat down and began talking very kindly to her; he said he was afraid that her application would be unsuccessful, as Mrs. Horner came very strongly recommended from the Duchess of Doncaster, whose relative Lady Tiptoff was; and presently my Lady appeared, looking very pretty, ma’am, in an elegant lace-cap and a sweet muslin robe-de-sham.

“A nurse came out of her Ladyship’s room with her; and while my Lady was talking to us, walked up and down in the next room with something in her arms.

“First, my Lady spoke to Mrs. Horner, and then to Mrs. T.; but all the while she was talking, Mrs. Titmarsh, rather rudely, as I thought, ma’am, was looking into the next room:  looking—­looking at the baby there with all her might.  My Lady asked her her name, and if she had any character; and as she did not speak, I spoke up for her, and said she was the wife of one of the best men in the world; that her Ladyship knew the gentleman, too, and had brought him a haunch of venison.  Then Lady Tiptoff looked up quite astonished, and I told the whole story:  how you had been head clerk, and that rascal, Brough, had brought you to ruin.  ‘Poor thing!’ said my Lady:  Mrs. Titmarsh did not speak, but still kept looking at the baby; and the great big grenadier of a Mrs. Horner looked angrily at her.

“‘Poor thing!’ says my Lady, taking Mrs. T.’s hand very kind, ’she seems very young.  How old are you, my dear?’