much mind it, knowing that her bark was worse than her bite--but it
was provoking that she should exhibit herself so soon before the new
servant.

The latter first looked up at the lady with simple surprise; then, as
in spite of the other two, Miss Selina worked herself up into a
downright passion, and unlimited abuse fell upon the victim's devoted
head, Elizabeth's manner changed. After one dogged repetition of, "It
was the cat!" not another word could be got out of her. She stood,
her eyes fixed on the kitchen floor, her brows knitted, and her under
lip pushed out--the very picture of sullenness. Young as she was,
Elizabeth evidently had, like her unfortunate mistress, "a temper of
her own"--a spiritual deformity that some people are born with, as
others with hare-lip or club-foot; only, unlike these, it may be
conquered, though the battle is long and sore, sometimes ending only
with life.

It had plainly never commenced with poor Elizabeth Hand. Her
appearance, as she stood under the flood of sharp words poured out
upon her, was absolutely repulsive. Even Miss Hilary turned away, and
began to think it would have been easier to teach all day and do
house work half the night, than have the infliction of a servant--to
say nothing of the disgrace of seeing Selina's "peculiarities" so
exposed before a stranger.

She knew of old that to stop the torrent was impracticable. The only
chance was to let Selina expend her wrath and retire, and then to
take some quiet opportunity of explaining to Elizabeth that sharp
language was only "her way," and must be put up with. Humiliating as
this was, and fatal to domestic authority that the first thing to be