thought, even in that flash of a second, what a soft, tiny hand it
was.

"Yes," he said, "and I have been sitting here, overcome by the
vastness of your fine old house."

The "your" was delicate, she thought, but she only said, "Let me help
you to recovery with some tea. Mammy will bring some," and then she
blushed very red. "My old nurse is the only servant I have with me,
and she is always mammy to me." She remembered, and throwing up her
proud little head rang for the old woman.

Directly, Mammy Peggy came marching in like a grenadier. She bore a
tray with the tea things on it, and after she had set it down hovered
in the room as if to chaperon her mistress. Bartley felt decidedly
uncomfortable. Mima's manners were all that politeness could require,
but he felt as if she resented his coming even to his own, and he knew
that mammy looked upon him as an interloper.

[Illustration: "MAMMY PEGGY CAME MARCHING IN LIKE A GRENADIER."]

Mima kept up well, only the paleness of her face showed what she felt
at leaving her home. Her voice was calm and impassive, only once it
trembled, when she wished that he would be as happy in the house as
she had been.

"I feel very much like an interloper," he said, "but I hope you won't
feel yourself entirely shut out from your beautiful home. My father,
who comes on in a few days is an invalid, and gets about very little,
and I am frequently from home, so pray make use of the grounds when