‘I’ll go to bed,—­it’s best place; but,’ catching at Margaret’s gown, ‘yo’ll come again,—­I know yo’ will—­but just say it!’

’I will come to-morrow, said Margaret.

Bessy leant back against her father, who prepared to carry her upstairs; but as Margaret rose to go, he struggled to say something:  ’I could wish there were a God, if it were only to ask Him to bless thee.’

Margaret went away very sad and thoughtful.

She was late for tea at home.  At Helstone unpunctuality at meal-times was a great fault in her mother’s eyes; but now this, as well as many other little irregularities, seemed to have lost their power of irritation, and Margaret almost longed for the old complainings.

‘Have you met with a servant, dear?’

‘No, mamma; that Anne Buckley would never have done.’

‘Suppose I try,’ said Mr. Hale.  ’Everybody else has had their turn at this great difficulty.  Now let me try.  I may be the Cinderella to put on the slipper after all.’

Margaret could hardly smile at this little joke, so oppressed was she by her visit to the Higginses.

‘What would you do, papa?  How would you set about it?’

’Why, I would apply to some good house-mother to recommend me one known to herself or her servants.’

‘Very good.  But we must first catch our house-mother.’

’You have caught her.  Or rather she is coming into the snare, and you will catch her to-morrow, if you’re skilful.’

‘What do you mean, Mr. Hale?’ asked his wife, her curiosity aroused.

’Why, my paragon pupil (as Margaret calls him), has told me that his mother intends to call on Mrs. and Miss Hale to-morrow.’

‘Mrs. Thornton!’ exclaimed Mrs. Hale.

‘The mother of whom he spoke to us?’ said Margaret.

‘Mrs. Thornton; the only mother he has, I believe,’ said Mr. Hale quietly.

’I shall like to see her.  She must be an uncommon person, her mother added.

’Perhaps she may have a relation who might suit us, and be glad of our place.  She sounded to be such a careful economical person, that I should like any one out of the same family.’

‘My dear,’ said Mr. Hale alarmed.  ’Pray don’t go off on that idea.  I fancy Mrs. Thornton is as haughty and proud in her way, as our little Margaret here is in hers, and that she completely ignores that old time of trial, and poverty, and economy, of which he speaks so openly.  I am sure, at any rate, she would not like strangers to know anything about It.’

’Take notice that is not my kind of haughtiness, papa, if I have any at all; which I don’t agree to, though you’re always accusing me of it.’

’I don’t know positively that it is hers either; but from little things I have gathered from him, I fancy so.’

They cared too little to ask in what manner her son had spoken about her.  Margaret only wanted to know if she must stay in to receive this call, as it would prevent her going to see how Bessy was, until late in the day, since the early morning was always occupied in household affairs; and then she recollected that her mother must not be left to have the whole weight of entertaining her visitor.