He had the keys of the house and he opened
the great door for us. The Hall was very high and cold and lonely, but
in a parlor on the right-hand side we found an old woman lighting a
fire which was already blazing merrily. Jane knew her well and she told
her to make us a pot of tea and bring it there. With her own hands she
drew forward a handsome Pembroke table, and then we went together
through the main rooms of the house. They were furnished in the time of
the Regency, Jane said, and it was easy to recognize the rich, ornate
extravagance of that period. In all this conversation, mother, we were
drawing nearer and nearer to each other and I kept in mind that I had
called her once 'my dear' and that she had shown no objection to the
words."
"I suppose the old man and woman were John Britton and his wife Dinah. I
believe they have charge of the place."
"I think so. I heard Jane give the man some orders about the glass in
the windows and he spoke to her concerning the bee skeps and the dahlia
bulbs being all right for winter.
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