that Anne should sometime see her chance visitors take their dish of tea
with her.

But one day, for some cause, she did remember, and sent for her.

Anne ran to her bed-chamber and donned her remodelled gown with shaking
hands. She laughed a little hysterically as she did it, seeing her plain
snub-nosed face in the glass. She tried to dress her head in a fashion
new to her, and knew she did it ill and untidily, but had no time to
change it. If she had had some red she would have put it on, but such
vanities were not in her chamber or Barbara's. So she rubbed her cheeks
hard, and even pinched them, so that in the end they looked as if they
were badly rouged. It seemed to her that her nose grew red too, and
indeed 'twas no wonder, for her hands and feet were like ice.

"She must be ashamed of me," the humble creature said to herself. "And
if she is ashamed she will be angered and send me away and be friends no
more."

She did not deceive herself, poor thing, and imagine she had the chance
of being regarded with any great lenience if she appeared ill.

"Mistress Clorinda begged that you would come quickly," said Rebecca,
knocking at the door.

So she caught her handkerchief, which was scented, as all her garments
were, with dried rose-leaves from the garden, which she had conserved
herself, and went down to the chintz parlour trembling.

It was a great room with white panels, and flowered coverings to the