The servants at Dempster's felt some surprise when the morning, noon, and
evening of Saturday had passed, and still their mistress did not
reappear.
'It's very odd,' said Kitty, the housemaid, as she trimmed her next
week's cap, while Betty, the middle-aged cook, looked on with folded
arms. 'Do you think as Mrs. Raynor was ill, and sent for the missis afore
we was up?'
'O,' said Betty, 'if it had been that, she'd ha' been back'ards an'
for'ards three or four times afore now; leastways, she'd ha' sent little
Ann to let us know.'
'There's summat up more nor usual between her an' the master, that you
may depend on,' said Kitty. 'I know those clothes as was lying i' the
drawing-room yesterday, when the company was come, meant summat. I
shouldn't wonder if that was what they've had
