A OCONTRE-TEMPS. 115

him was anything but economical.— When all this
was done, and his blue camlet-bag, which looked very
much like a lawyer's, and which contained his neat
little packets of stationery, was set on the table
before him, she brushed his hat, and set his stick
ready for him; and then kissing him, woke him
from a reverie into which he had fallen.

Poor man! he looked harassed and weary, and
not fit to begin a foot-journey, even of two days;
and so his daughter thought, and at another time she
might have urged his staying at home, but now she
had reasons of her own for wishing him out of the
way, at least for a little while; so begging him always
to keep the shady side of the road, and not to be
afraid of spending sixpence or a shilling in getting an
occasional lift in a returned chaise or even a cart,
and never to walk too far without resting, she did
her best to speed him on his way, and the poor day~
dreaming, unfortunate man took up his bag and stick,
and, kissing her tenderly, went out.

CHAPTER II.
A CONTRE-TEMPS.

As soon as her father was gone, she set herself
busily to work; first of all, she took all her little
store of fancy-work and painting out of the window,
dusted the inside of the window, blew every particle
of dust from the various articles, and thought to
herself how fortunate it was that this window lay to
the north, and thus had so little sun to fade the
things, though it was a pity that even here the flies
made such work over everything. But, however,
all was now neatly arranged in the window, an@she