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 trading spirit, like it, and enjoy exceedingly the fun of making hard-handed worsted-spinners cash up, to the tune of four or five hundred per cent. above cost price, for articles quite useless to them; other—feebler souls object to it, and would rather see the prince of darkness himself at their door any morning, than that phantom-basket, brought with “Mrs. Rouse’s compliments, and please ma’am she says it’s your turn now.”

Miss Helstone’s duties of hostess performed, more anxiously than cheerily, she betook herself to the kitchen, to hold a brief privy council with Fanny and Eliza about the tea.

“What a lot on em!” cried Eliza, who was cook. “And I put off the baking to-day because I thought there would be bread plenty to fit while morning: we shall never have enow.”

“Are there any tea-cakes?” asked the young mistress.

“Only three and a loaf. I wish these fine folk would stay at home till they’re asked: and I want to finish trimming my hat” (bonnet she meant).

“Then,” suggested Caroline, to whom the importance of the emergency gave a certain energy, “Fanny must run down to Briarfield and buy some muffins and crumpets, and some biscuits: and don’t be cross, Eliza, we can’t help it now.”

“And which tea-things are we to have?”

“Oh, the best, I suppose: I’ll get out the silver service,” and she ran up-stairs to the plate-closet,