a music-hall--at her expense.

She now lived in a quiet elysium, with a bright and rapturous dream
of the future; for she saw she had hit on a good vein of business, and
should soon be independent, and able to indulge herself with a husband,
and ask no man's leave.

She sent to Essex for a dairymaid, and set her to churn milk into
butter, coram populo, at a certain hour every morning. This made a new
sensation. At other times the woman was employed to deliver milk and
cream to a few favored customers.

Mrs. Staines dropped in now and then, and chatted with her. Her sweet
face and her naivete won Phoebe's heart; and one day, as happiness is
apt to be communicative, she let out to her, in reply to a feeler or two
as to whether she was quite alone, that she was engaged to be married to
a gentleman. "But he is not rich, ma'am," said Phoebe plaintively; "he
has had trouble: obliged to work for his living, like me; he painted
these pictures, EVERY ONE OF THEM. If it was not making too free, and
you could spare a guinea--he charges no more for the picture, only you
must go to the expense of the frame."

"Of course I will," said Rosa warmly. "I'll sit for it here, any day you
like."

Now, Rosa said this, out of her ever ready kindness, not to wound
Phoebe: but having made the promise, she kept clear of the place for
some days, hoping Phoebe would forget all about it. Meantime she sent
her husband to buy.