though my Lady's embroidery took up most of her sedentary hours.
Mrs. Dove undertook the care of the guinea's worth of presents
to the little sisters from Sir Amyas, which the prudent nurse advised
her to withhold till after Master Archer was gone, as he would certainly
break everything to pieces. He was up betimes, careering about the
garden with all his sisters after him, imperiously ordering them about,
but nevertheless bewitching them all, so that Amoretta was in ecstasies
at her own preferment, scarcely realising that it would divide her from
the others; while Letty made sure that she should soon follow, and
Fidelia gravely said, "I shall always know you are loving me still,
Amy, as Nurse Rolfe does."

Lady Belamour breakfasted in her own room at about ten o'clock. Her
woman, Mrs. Loveday, a small trim active person, with the worn and
sharpened remains of considerable prettiness of the miniature brunette
style, was sent to summon Miss Delavie to her apartment and inspect the
embroidery she had been desired to execute for my Lady. Three or four
bouquets had been finished, and the maid went into such raptures over
them as somewhat to disgust their worker, who knew that they were not
half so well done as they would have been under Betty's direction.
However, Mrs. Loveday bore the frame to her Ladyship's room, following
Aurelia, who was there received with the same stately caressing manner
as before.

"Good morning, child. Your roses bloom well in the forenoon! Pity they
should be wasted in darkness. Not but that you are duly appreciated
there. Ah! I can deepen them by what our unhappy recluse said of you.
I shall make glad hearts at Carminster by his good opinion, and who
knows what preferment may come of it--eh? What is that, Loveday?"