’He is the first specimen of a manufacturer—­of a person engaged in trade—­that I had ever the opportunity of studying, papa.  He is my first olive:  let me make a face while I swallow it.  I know he is good of his kind, and by and by I shall like the kind.  I rather think I am already beginning to do so.  I was very much interested by what the gentlemen were talking about, although I did not understand half of it.  I was quite sorry when Miss Thornton came to take me to the other end of the room, saying she was sure I should be uncomfortable at being the only lady among so many gentlemen.  I had never thought about it, I was so busy listening; and the ladies were so dull, papa—­oh, so dull!  Yet I think it was clever too.  It reminded me of our old game of having each so many nouns to introduce into a sentence.’

‘What do you mean, child?’ asked Mr. Hale.

’Why, they took nouns that were signs of things which gave evidence of wealth,—­housekeepers, under-gardeners, extent of glass, valuable lace, diamonds, and all such things; and each one formed her speech so as to bring them all in, in the prettiest accidental manner possible.’

’You will be as proud of your one servant when you get her, if all is true about her that Mrs. Thornton says.’

’To be sure, I shall.  I felt like a great hypocrite to-night, sitting there in my white silk gown, with my idle hands before me, when I remembered all the good, thorough, house-work they had done to-day.  They took me for a fine lady, I’m sure.’

’Even I was mistaken enough to think you looked like a lady my dear,’ said Mr. Hale, quietly smiling.

But smiles were changed to white and trembling looks, when they saw Dixon’s face, as she opened the door.

’Oh, master!—­Oh, Miss Margaret!  Thank God you are come!  Dr. Donaldson is here.  The servant next door went for him, for the charwoman is gone home.  She’s better now; but, oh, sir!  I thought she’d have died an hour ago.’

Mr. Hale caught Margaret’s arm to steady himself from falling.  He looked at her face, and saw an expression upon it of surprise and extremest sorrow, but not the agony of terror that contracted his own unprepared heart.  She knew more than he did, and yet she listened with that hopeless expression of awed apprehension.

‘Oh!  I should not have left her—­wicked daughter that I am!’ moaned forth Margaret, as she supported her trembling father’s hasty steps up-stairs.  Dr. Donaldson met them on the landing.

‘She is better now,’ he whispered.  ’The opiate has taken effect.  The spasms were very bad:  no wonder they frightened your maid; but she’ll rally this time.’

‘This time!  Let me go to her!’ Half an hour ago, Mr. Hale was a middle-aged man; now his sight was dim, his senses wavering, his walk tottering, as if he were seventy years of age.