she was not busy she sat in the drawing-room to save fire and light.

Miss Taggart was the daughter of a country doctor. Both her parents
were dead, and she was poor. She had a reputation for being
enlightened, as she was not regular in her attendance at public
worship on Sunday, and did not always go to the same church. She
told Mrs. Poulter once that science should tincture theology,
whereupon, appeal being made to Mr. Goacher by that alarmed lady, he
ventured to remark, that with all respect to Miss Taggart, such
observations were perhaps liable to misconstruction in ordinary
society, where they could not be fully explained, and, although she
was doubtless right in a way, the statement needed qualification.
Miss Taggart was not very friendly with Mrs. Poulter and Mr.
Goacher, and despised Mrs. Mudge because she was low-bred. Miss
Everard Miss Taggart dreaded, and accused her of being vicious and
spiteful.

It was still early in December, but the lodgers in Russell House who
had nothing to do--that is to say all of them excepting Miss
Everard--were making plans for Christmas. They always thought a
long time beforehand of what was going to happen. On Tuesday
morning they began to anticipate Sunday, and when the Sunday
afternoon wore away slowly and drearily, they looked forward to the
excitement of omnibuses and butchers' carts on Monday. A little
more than a fortnight before Christmas, on Sunday at early dinner, a
leg of mutton was provided. Mrs. Poulter always sat at the head of
the table and carved. This was the position she occupied when Mr.
Goacher came, and she did not offer to resign it. Mrs. Mudge was
helped first, but it was towards the knuckle and she had no fat.