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282 charmed both the old people by her intimate and practical knowledge of all sorts of rural matters.

She arranged the pillows on the old lady's sofa (for she was now somewhat of an invalid) not exactly to perfection, for it requires some practice or a peculiar instinct which Jessie had not, amongst her many good gifts, to do that; but with goodwill and readiness to take a hint. She made tea for the family in a little old-fashioned silver teapot set in a little stand—a great contrast to the capacious vessel in use at Branxholm—and listened to the history which Mrs Copeland gave of it as having belonged to her grandmother. There were many curious old handsome things in the house, showing that the Cepelands had been comfortable people for several generations, Whereas everything that was handsome at Branxholm was spick-andspan new. Jessie's mother had old stories of the greatness of the Lindsays and the Hepburns in times long past; but her own recollections of early life were of hard living, poor lodging, and little or no furniture in the wilds of Australia, and she fully appreciated the heirlooms and the anecdotes which her mother-in-law told. Mr. Copeland would rather have had the tea-service displayed that he had won in a sweepstakes