At that moment the door of my father's study opened, and Mrs. Rusk, with
her dark energetic face very much flushed, stepped out in high excitement.

'The Master says you may have the brandy-bottle, Madame and I'm glad to be
rid of it--_I_ am.'

Madame courtesied with a great smirk, that was full of intangible hate and
insult.

'Better your own brandy, if drink you must!' exclaimed Mrs. Rusk. 'You may
come to the store-room now, or the butler can take it.'

And off whisked Mrs. Rusk for the back staircase.

There had been no common skirmish on this occasion, but a pitched battle.

Madame had made a sort of pet of Anne Wixted, an underchambermaid, and
attached her to her interest economically by persuading me to make her
presents of some old dresses and other things. Anne was such an angel!

But Mrs. Rusk, whose eyes were about her, detected Anne, with a
brandy-bottle under her apron, stealing up-stairs. Anne, in a panic,
declared the truth. Madame had commissioned her to buy it in the town, and
convey it to her bed-room. Upon this, Mrs. Rusk impounded the flask; and,
with Anne beside her, rather precipitately appeared before 'the Master.' He
heard and summoned Madame. Madame was cool, frank, and fluent. The brandy
was purely medicinal. She produced a document in the form of a note. Doctor
Somebody presented his compliments to Madame de la Rougierre, and ordered
her a table-spoonful of brandy and some drops of laudanum whenever the pain