Miss Pupford only went away; for Miss Pupford's assistant went away with
her, on a dutiful visit to an aged uncle--though surely the venerable
gentleman couldn't live in the gallery of the church where the marriage
was to be, thought Miss Kitty Kimmeens--and yet Miss Pupford's assistant
had let out that she was going there. Where the cook was going, didn't
appear, but she generally conveyed to Miss Kimmeens that she was bound,
rather against her will, on a pilgrimage to perform some pious office
that rendered new ribbons necessary to her best bonnet, and also sandals
to her shoes.

"So you see," said the housemaid, when they were all gone, "there's
nobody left in the house but you and me, Miss Kimmeens."

"Nobody else," said Miss Kitty Kimmeens, shaking her curls a little
sadly. "Nobody!"

"And you wouldn't like your Bella to go too; would you, Miss Kimmeens?"
said the housemaid. (She being Bella.)

"N-no," answered little Miss Kimmeens.

"Your poor Bella is forced to stay with you, whether she likes it or not;
ain't she, Miss Kimmeens?"

"_Don't_ you like it?" inquired Kitty.

"Why, you're such a darling, Miss, that it would be unkind of your Bella
to make objections. Yet my brother-in-law has been took unexpected bad
by this morning's post. And your poor Bella is much attached to him,
letting alone her favourite sister, Miss Kimmeens."