"I been
to the play, and there was a man in it was a thief, you know,
miss!" And with that she burst out crying.
It was some time before Mary got her quieted, but, when she did,
the girl was quite reasonable. She deplored that the bed was not
made up, and would willingly have yielded hers; she was sorry she
had not a clean night-gown to offer her--"not that it would be
fit for the likes of _you_, miss!"--and showed herself full
of friendly ministration. Mary being now without her traveling-
cloak, Jemima judged from her dress she must be some grand
visitor's maid, vastly her superior in the social scale: if she
had taken her for an inferior, she would doubtless, like most,
have had some airs handy.
CHAPTER XXVI.
HER POSITION.
Mary seemed to have but just got to sleep again, when she was
startled awake by the violent ringing of a bell, almost at her
ear.
"Oh, you needn't trouble yet a long while, miss!" said the girl,
who was already dressing. "I've got ever so many fires to light,
ere there'll be a thought of you!"
Mary lay down again, and once more fell fast asleep.
She was waked the third time by the girl telling her that
breakfast was ready; whereupon she rose, and made herself as tidy
as she could, while Jemima _cleaned herself up a bit,_ and
was not a little improved in the process.
"I thought," she said, "as Mrs.
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