so slow at taking it in, that I think I shall do better with a family
where the behaviour-lessons come first!'

"Missus was very angry, and so was I; but at last she said:-

"'Cook, I shall not argue with you any longer; you know no better,
and I suppose I must make allowances for you.'

"'I'm much obliged to you, ma'am, I'm sure,' was my answer; 'it's
what I've always done by you ever since I came to the house, and I'll
do it still with pleasure, and think no more of what's been said.'

"I spoke from my heart, I can tell you, dears, for I felt very sorry
for Missus, and thought she was but a lady after all, and perhaps I'd
hardly made allowances enough. I'd lost my temper, too, as I knew
after she went away. But, you see, while she was there, it was so
mortifying to be spoken to as if all the sense was on her side, when
I knew it was all on mine, wherever the French and crochet may have
been. Well, but the day before I left, I broke down with another of
them, as it's fair that you should know.

"I'd felt very lonely that day, busy as I was, and in the afternoon I
took myself into the scullery to give the pans a sort of good-bye
cleaning, and be out of everybody's way. But there, in the midst of
it, comes the eldest young gentleman flinging into the kitchen,
shouting, 'Cook! Cook! Where's Cook?' as usual. I thought he was
after some of his old tricks, and I HAD been fretting over those
pans, thinking what a sad job it was to have no home to go to in the
world, so I gave him a very short answer.