2i6 The Real Charlotte. 



put his money in his pocket whin he'd be hasting that way 

 lavin' his house." 



She did not wait for an answer, but shuffled to the scul- 

 lery door, and began to scream for Bid Sal in her usual 

 tones of acrid ill-temper. As she returned to the kitchen, 

 Julia met her at the door. Her yellow face, that Norry 

 had likened by courtesy to the driven snow, was now very 

 red, and her eyes had a hot stare in them. 



" I'm obliged to you, Norry Kelly," she said, ** but when 

 I'm in need of charity I'll ask for it. Let me out, if you 

 please." 



The blast of fury with which Norry was preparing to 

 reply was checked by a rattle of wheels in the yard, and 

 Bid Sal appeared with the intelligence that Jimmy Daly was 

 come over with the Bruff cart, and Norry was to go out to 

 speak to him. When she came back she had a basket of 

 grapes in one hand and a brace of grouse in the other, and 

 as she put them down on the table, she informed her cousin, 

 with distant pohteness, that Jimmy Daly would drive her to 

 Bruff. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 



The drive in the spring-cart was the first moment of com- 

 parative ease from suffering that Julia had known that day. 

 Her tormented brain was cooled by the soft steady rush of 

 air in her face, and the mouthful of " potheen " that she had 

 drunk had at first the effect of dulling all her perceptions. 

 The cart drove up the back avenue, and at the yard gate 

 Julia asked the man to put her down. She clambered out 

 of the cart with great difficulty, and going round to the hall 

 door, went toilfully up the steps and rang the bell. Sir 

 Benjamin was out. Lady Dysart was out, Mr. Dysart was 

 out ; so Gorman told her, with a doubtful look at the black 

 Sunday gown that seemed to him indicative of the bearer of 

 a begging petition, and he did not know when they would 

 be in. He shut the door, and Julia went slowly down the 

 steps again. 



She had begun to walk mechanically away from the house, 

 when she saw vSir Benjamin in his chair coming up a side 

 walk. His face, with its white hair, gold spectacles, and 



