In the Year of Jubilee

He had not ventured to ask that early breakfast should be prepared for him. Enough that he was lea

Denmark Hill, presents a double row of similar dwellings; its clean breadth, with foliage of trees and shrubs in front gardens, makes it pleasant to the eye that finds pleasure in suburban London. In point of respectability

gown of the fashionable heliotrope came downstairs. She had acute features; eyes which seemed to indicate the concentration of her

d costly playthings which serve no purpose but to stunt a child's imagination. Though the time was midsummer, not a flower appeared among the pretentious ornaments. The pictures were a strange medley-autotypes of some artistic value hanging side by side with hide

at does t

feel well, miss;

t yourself, and lo

ing rose. The domestic made insolent reply, and there began a war of words. At this moment

la-de-da, la-de-da,-and a pe

featured, and shallow-eyed; a long neck, no chin to speak of, a low forehead with the hair of washed-out flaxe

she asked, entering the ro

' said Beatrice, 'but Ada's th

mpartially. And with a skip she took up her song aga

hurch this morning?

Are

. There's something I wa

erwards? I've go

h Lo

ughed an

ool. Beneath a loose thin dressing-gown her feet, in felt slippers, showed stockingless, her neck was bare almost to the bosom, and the tresses of pale yellow, upon which she especially prided herself, lay raggedly pinned together on the top of her flat head. She was about twenty-eight years old, but at present looked more than thirty. Her features resembled Fanny's, but had a much less

her first words, in a thin and rather nasa

replied Beatrice. 'Whose place

th servants like I've got?'

; and when you've got them, you should mana

're not satisfied, you'd better find board and lodging somewhere else

ing on with ingenuous amusement, and puttin

Mrs. Peachey at length, surveying the table. 'You've

ught no reply, she rang again. Beatrice thought it probable th

; with it there blended the rougher accents of the housemaid, now in reckless revolt. Beatrice listened for a minute or two in the hall, then passed on into the drawing-roo

at! beas

ith these and other exclamations, her face livid, her foolish eyes starting from their sock

rs found themselves together in the drawing-room. Ada sprawled limply on a sofa; Beatrice sa

end of the week, when new numbers came in, Ada Peachey passed many hours upon her sofa, reading instalments of a dozen serial stories, paragraphs relating to fashion, sport, the theatre, answers to correspondents (wherein she especially delighted), columns of facetiae, and gossip about notorious people. Through a great deal of this matter Beatri

ult that most of the hard work was thrown upon his shoulders. At their marriage, the happy pair first of all established themselves in a modest house near Camberwell Road; two years later, growing prosperity brought about their removal to De Crespigny Park, where they had now resided for some twelve months. Unlike their elder sister, Beatrice and Fanny had learnt to support themselves, Beatrice in the postal service