CHAPTER VII.

DORA'S PERPLEXITY.

On going up to bed, her mind full of perplexity, Dora was almost provoked to find Lizzie in exuberant spirits and quite overpowering in her expressions of gratitude; and though she made an attempt to moderate the damsel's expectations, and to hint at uncertainties regarding distance trains, etc.,-Lizzie had such unbounded confidence in her young lady's power to overrule all difficulties, that now Dora had taken the matter in hand, she was not to be discouraged by any means.

"I should indeed be sorry for you, ma'am, to have to be called before your usual hour," she said; "and the worst of it is, Mrs. Tucker says Miss Lomax's maid is one of those old

fashioned, elderly bodies, that knows nothing whatever about the present style of doing hair. If there had been any one in the house that could have managed your dressing, just for that one morning, it would have made things much more straight and comfortable."

“Oh, never mind my hair, Lizzie; as far as that goes, I could easily wear a net for one day."

"But Mrs. Freeling would not be pleased at that, and you on a visit too; and, indeed, I should not like to go away and think of you all day without your plaits and chignon, looking quite shabby and poor like-it would quite spoil my pleasure, indeed it would, ma'am.”

'Oh, well," replied Dora, laughing, "if your happiness at all depends upon my chignon, I would get up at any hour-even before daybreak-to have it done; or, if necessary, have my hair dressed the last thing before going to bed, and try for one night to sleep in a sitting position, without putting my head on the pillow."

"Oh! that would be dreadful, ma'am!" ex

claimed Lizzie, half in feigned, half in real, dismay.

"Well, I should really deserve it," returned Dora, "for it is so stupid of me not to be able to dress my own hair on an emergency, at all events."

"You were never brought up to it, ma'am, like some young ladies, and have no need to do it. Miss Audrey now, she has a pretty good notion of hairdressing, though of course her chignon is not quite the shape it would be if done by a professed hand; still, she always looks tidy like; and the night when you let me go to the play, and she insisted on doing my work for me, she did not manage at all amiss-considering.

(Nota bene.--Every one had remarked on this evening referred to, that Dora Freeling had never looked better or been more becomingly coiffée.)

"And such a kind, pleasant, free-spoken young lady one seldom meets with," continued Lizzie, who was in a very talkative mood. "Her very voice is enough to do one good. I wish

she was going with you on Thursday, ma'am, if only to spirit you up a bit; amongst such a set of old folks, I fear you will be quite moped— and in the country too, which is never over lively. I know Mrs. Tucker was glad enough to escape the job; for she said, though nothing could be more comfortable than the servants are in every respect at The Firs, as regards living and rooms, and all that kind of thing, they and their mistress are quite out of date : Mrs. Benwell, the lady's-maid, the primmest and plainest of bodies, and the manservant, even more ancient-like still. Now, Miss Audrey would keep us all alive and merry even there wouldn't she, ma'am?"

Dora made no reply to this harangue, though Lizzie's words were echoed in her heart. She felt that she would have given anything to have been able to take Lisette with her, instead of having to acquaint Mrs. Audrey that she had misled her with respect to her daughter.

Distasteful and difficult, however, as was this task, she knew it was one that admitted of no delay. Mrs. Audrey must not be allowed to

leave London under the false idea that Lisette was comfortably provided for during her absence; so, on dismissing Lizzie, Dora sat down in her dressing-gown before the writing table, and, in the best words she could find, begged her little friend's mother to forgive her for having too hastily sent a reply to her note; telling her, that as she had been disappointed in her hope of being able to put off another engagement, to her great regret she must ask her to make some different plan for Lisette, just for this present week, after which time she still hoped Mrs. Audrey would let her dear Lisette pay her a visit before going to Worthing; and in conclusion she requested that an enclosed note might be given to her. Dora sighed as she wrote, and thought how much she would sink in the esteem in which she had hitherto been held by the good, methodical lady.

"I know," she said in her hurried billet to Lisette, “Mrs. Audrey will quite lose her good opinion of me, which I have always greatly valued, but everything seems to be going wrong with me. I hate the idea of The Firs more