At last his knocker began to show signs of life: his visitors were
physicians. His lectures on "Diagnosis" were well known to them; and one
after another found him out. They were polite, kind, even friendly; but
here it ended: these gentlemen, of course, did not resign their patients
to him; and the inferior class of practitioners avoided his door like a
pestilence.
Mrs. Staines, who had always lived for amusement, could strike out no
fixed occupation; her time hung like lead; the house was small; and in
small houses the faults of servants run against the mistress, and she
can't help seeing them, and all the worse for her. It is easier to keep
things clean in the country, and Rosa had a high standard, which her two
servants could never quite attain. This annoyed her, and she began to
scold a little. They answered civilly, but in other respects remained
imperfect beings; they laid out every shilling they earned in finery;
and, this, I am ashamed to say, irritated Mrs. Staines, who was wearing
out her wedding garments, and had no excuse for buying, and Staines
had begged her to be economical. The more they dressed, the more she
scolded; they began to answer. She gave the cook warning; the other,
though not on good terms with the cook, had a gush of esprit de corps
directly, and gave Mrs.
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