"Are you going to be my servant?" Mary
asked, still in her imperious little Indian
way.

Martha began to rub her grate again.

"I'm Mrs. Medlock's servant," she said stoutly.
"An' she's Mr. Craven's -- but I'm to do the
housemaid's work up here an' wait on you a bit.
But you won't need much waitin' on."

"Who is going to dress me?" demanded
Mary.

Martha sat up on her heels again and stared.
She spoke in broad Yorkshire in her amazement.

"Canna' tha' dress thysen!" she said.

"What do you mean? I don't understand your
language," said Mary.

"Eh! I forgot," Martha said. "Mrs. Medlock
told me I'd have to be careful or you wouldn't
know what I was sayin'. I mean can't you put on
your own clothes?"

"No," answered Mary, quite indignantly. "I
never did in my life. My Ayah dressed me, of
course."

"Well," said Martha, evidently not in the least
aware that she was impudent, "it's time tha'
should learn. Tha' cannot begin younger. It'll
do thee good to wait on thysen a bit. My mother
always said she couldn't see why grand people's
children didn't turn out fair fools -- what with

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p032 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p033w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p034

v?