Four Gates by Amy Le Feuvre

"Hast thou o'er the clear heaven of thy soul Seen tempests roll? Hast thou watched all the hopes thou wouldst have won Fade one by one? Wait till the clouds are past, then raise thine eyes To bluer skies!

"Hast thou gone sadly through a dreary night, And found no light, No guide, no star, to cheer thee through the plain, No friend, save pain? Wait, and thy soul shall see, when most forlorn, Rise a new morn. " A. PROCTOR.

IN a few minutes, Honor returned, followed by Mrs. Montmorency herself.

"I have come to see you," that lady announced, with great good humour, "because I like to know Miss Broughton's friends. You come from her part of the world, I hear."

Mrs. Montmorency was a stout, handsome-looking woman, whose one object in life was to preserve her good looks and have a good time. She was very lavish over her personal expenditure, but very economical with her staff of servants, and had dismissed her maid soon after Honor's arrival, when she found that Honor could dress her hair and use her needle as well as that expensive individual. Honor did not know how to stand up for herself. She meekly acquiesced in every extra burden laid upon her shoulders, though in private, she chafed against it.

Audrey replied pleasantly; she was anxious to obtain friends, and hoped that Mrs. Montmorency might do something for her.

"Well, you must spend the evening, I suppose, with your friend. I shall be in about eleven. Are you staying in London long?"

"Only till I find some work," said Audrey, taking the bull by the horns. "If you hear of any of your friends wanting a companion, Mrs. Montmorency, will you kindly remember me? I should be very grateful for a recommendation from you."

"But I know nothing of you," said Mrs. Montmorency, eyeing her with a certain amount of interest. "You look ladylike, and perhaps capable."

"I am sure I am both," said Audrey, with a flickering smile.

"Audrey is really very clever," said Honor eagerly, "much cleverer than I am-"

"That does not say much," said Mrs. Montmorency, with a smile that seemed to wither Honor up at once. "I must be going. Good-night, Miss Hume. I shall not see you again. You must amuse yourself whilst Miss Broughton is attending to me."

She disappeared. Honor came over to Audrey and kissed her in a warm-hearted fashion.

"She likes you. I can see she does. Every one does. What a delightful evening we shall have together!"

"I don't think she is a bad sort," said Audrey, looking at Honor reflectively; "only why do you grovel to her so? No lady should do it!"

"Do I grovel? " The pink colour came into Honor Broughton's cheeks. "I am sometimes afraid I do. I am losing my self-respect, and that's a fact, Audrey. I am in an anomalous position. I am not a servant, but I am treated like one. And they even look upon me with contempt. I hate the butler. I feel I should like to crush him under my feet for his quiet insolence. You are quite right. I can't stand up for myself. When you're unhappy, you can't; it doesn't seem worth while."

"But, Honor, why should you be unhappy? And I should not sink to the level of a servant if I were you. She gives you a handsome salary, and yet makes you her maid. I can't understand it. She must be a mass of contradictions."

"So she is. She was constantly changing her maids, and then Mrs. Bulwer suggested to her to get a companion. She made her give me £100 a year. She told her I was worth it, and Mrs. Montmorency soon found I was not, so she is determined to get as much as she can out of me. I hate the life, Audrey! I hate London! I hate being treated like an inferior being because I work for my living. Mrs. Montmorency dislikes everything that I like, and likes everything that I despise. She hates children and old people, and animals and the country; and she loves rich, vulgar people and a show, and everything with push and brag."

"She looks good-natured."

"So she is, unless her will is crossed, but I think her vain and childish. I suppose I have no tolerance with people of her sort. There is her bell going! I must run. I never expected to be happy, you know, so I am not disappointed."