"
A childlike simplicity looked out of the clear eyes and sounded
in the swift words of the maiden; and, had Godfrey's heart been
as hard as the stirrup she had dropped, it could not but be
touched by her devotion. He was at the same time not a little
puzzled how to carry himself. Letty had picked up the stirrup,
and was again hard at work with it; to take it from her, and turn
her out of the saddle-room, would scarcely be a proper way of
thanking her, scarcely an adequate mode of revealing his estimate
of the condescension of her ladyhood. For, although Letty did
make beds and chose to clean harness, Godfrey was gentleman
enough not to think her less of a lady--for the moment at least--
because of such doings: I will not say he had got so far on in
the great doctrine concerning the washing of hands as to be able
to think her _more_ of a lady for thus cleaning his
stirrups. But he did see that to set the fire-engine of indignant
respect for womankind playing on the individual woman was not the
part of the man to whose service she was humbling herself. He
laid his hand on her bent head, and said:
"I ought to be a knight of the old times, Letty, to have a lady
serve me so."
"You're just as good, Cousin Godfrey," she rejoined, rubbing
away.
He turned from her, and left her at her work.
He had taken no real notice of the girl before--had felt next to
no interest in her.
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