But with this drawback, Magdalen was perfectly competent to detect
the tokens of sickness and sorrow lurking under the surface of the new
maid's activity and politeness. She suspected the girl was ill-tempered;
she disliked her name; and she was indisposed to welcome any servant
who had been engaged by Noel Vanstone. But after the first few minutes,
"Louisa" grew on her liking. She answered all the questions put to
her with perfect directness; she appeared to understand her duties
thoroughly; and she never spoke until she was spoken to first. After
making all the inquiries that occurred to her at the time, and after
determining to give the maid a fair trial, Magdalen rose to leave the
room. The very air in it was still heavy to her with the oppression of
the past night.
"Have you anything more to say to me?" she asked, turning to the
servant, with her hand on the door.
"I beg your pardon, miss," said Louisa, very respectfully and very
quietly. "I think my master told me that the marriage was to be
to-morrow?"
Magdalen repressed the shudder that stole over her at that reference to
the marriage on the lips of a stranger, and answered in the affirmative.
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