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“You are very impertinent, miss, and have been reared with altogether too high notions for one in your position,” she said, angrily. “You ought to be thankful for a roof to cover your head, and anything to cover your nakedness, coming here, as you did, destitute of everything. An equal in my family, indeed! Music, painting, and drawing! What will Josephine say to that, I wonder? And who did you suppose was going to foot the bills? It won’t do you any harm to have some of this independence taken out of you, and I’ll have you understand, once for all, that you will fill Maggie Flynn’s position in this house, or none.”

Star bowed her proud head coldly. She saw that she was helpless for the present, and must yield to the inevitable.

“Very well,” she said, calmly. “I understand from Mrs. Blunt that Maggie Flynn was about my age; that she had six dollars a month besides her board, and two evenings out a week. I will consent to fill her place, for the present, upon the same conditions.”

“Upon my word!” exclaimed Mrs. Richards, in a towering passion at this unexpected proposition. “I never heard anything like it in my life! You forget that you are indebted to me for the very clothes you have on at this moment.”

Star could hardly repress a smile at this calculating outbreak.

“You have given me the print for two dresses,” she answered, with ready tact, “the cost of which, with us in England, would be four pence a yard. I have nearly made them myself, but you can deduct whatever you see fit, and I will 63attend to my own wardrobe in the future. If I do Maggie Flynn’s work, I must have Maggie Flynn’s pay and privileges,” she concluded, decidedly.

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“You will have nothing of the kind”—Mrs. Richards was fairly hoarse with anger. “You forget that your father has consigned you to my guardianship for the next few years, and you will do exactly as I direct you. But we have wasted time enough in this kind of talk. You are to come with me now; I will set you to work, and see if we cannot take down some of this English impudence.”

Star followed the woman as she was bidden, without a word, thinking it best to discuss the question no further just then; but there was, nevertheless, a determined gleam in her glorious eyes; her form was as erect and proud, her step as firm as if she felt herself in every respect the equal of the woman who appeared bound to oppress her.

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