THE COMMONER'S DAUGHTER. CHAP. XXV. SECOND BOOK. When I woke next morning, with but vague recollections at first of what had passed on the previous day, I had also the physical sensations of stiffness and exhaustion attendant on the treatment I had received, with the additional shock given to my frame by the overturn of the hackney coach. As I slowly and painfully washed and dressed, I was obliged to deliberate on what I should say to my hostess and Betsy about my friendless condition. I did not wish to expose the cruel behaviour of my family, neither did I choose to tell a falsehood; I related to them, therefore, when I descended to breakfast, a partial account, saying that I had been compelled to leave home suddenly through unkind treatment, and that I wished to find occupation by which I might maintain myself. Mrs. Tegget such was my entertainer's name-shook her head when I said this. "You don't look much fit to get your own bread, Miss," she said. "What do you think you could do?" longer than he thought for; and somehow the gentleman-leastways he couldn't be a gentleman, you'll say-that he left to teach his pupils, got round them or their ma's and governesses; so, that when, at last, poor Mr. Benevoly did get back to Lunnon, he had no business left: perhaps in time he might have got it back, or got fresh; for folks do say he were very clever. Howsumever, I knows nothing about musicking people myself, having of a mangle to look after, and four children, beside Betsy, my eldest, which it is a blessing to think she be so old, for whatever I should do, and them all little, left on my hands when their father he died, falling off a ladder, as he did, when they were a-building Lord-well, I forget his name-his house; but they did say the King built it for him, all along of his victories agin Bony. And- - where was I?" It was difficult, indeed, to tell; for Mrs. Tegget's great hobby seemed to talk, and bewilder herself and her hearers by such a ramification of subjects that it was almost impossible to keep in view the original one with which she started. As I was interested in her first topic, however, recalled it without much difficulty. That question was certainly puzzling, but II parried it. "I do not exactly know. But, oh! Betsy, if I could but find out Mr. Benvolere, he would tell me. You remember Mr. Benvolere, who taught us music at Mnemosyne House?" "In course, Miss, I do. Well, luckily there aint no difficulty about that; because mother has done his washing for years. When I was at Miss Partridge's I made bold to ask for his custom. But he don't live where he did. And, la! poor old gentleman, he be very low in the world since he were took ill, I do fear. We don't get a quarter the washing we did, do us mother?" "About Mr. Benvolere. You were saying—” "Oh yes," eagerly, for fear Betsy, who was waiting with open mouth, should forestall her narrative. "Well, Miss, the old gentleman tooked this deceitful behaviour greatly to heart; his own sister-a nice lady she is, and talks English as well as I do-she told me this; and then a top of all this trouble Mr. Benevoly, poor man, he were seized with a paralysy, and now all one arm is useless, and he can't walk; so Miss, for sure, being a cripple, he can't teach; though I remember, when I was a girl, long before you was born or thought of, Betsy, there were a cripple as used to go about Lunnon, a playing on the fiddle with his chin, and one day he comed up our court he did, for we lived in James-court, Seven dials, on account of our not being able to get a cheap house where mother wanted one, and—” I found, by this time, that the only way to restrain Mrs. Tegget's propensity to diverge K |