"No，Bessie; I have only just finished dusting."

"Troublesome，careless child! and what are you doing now? You look quite red，as if you have been about some mischief: what were you opening the window for?"

I was spared the trouble of answering，for Bessie seemed in too great a hurry to listen to explanations; she hauled me to the washstand，inflicted a merciless，but happily brief scrub on my face and hands with soap，water，and a coarse towel; disciplined my head with a bristly brush，denuded me of my pinafore，and then hurrying me to the top of the stairs，bid me go down directly，as I was wanted in the breakfast-room.

I would have asked who wanted me: I would have demanded if Mrs. Reed was there; but Bessie was already gone，and had closed the nursery-door upon me. I slowly descended. For nearly three months，I had never been called to Mrs. Reed"s presence; restricted so long to the nursery，the breakfast，dining，and drawing-rooms were bee for me awful regions，on which it dismayed me to intrude.

I now stood in the empty hall; before me was the breakfast-room door，and I stopped，intimidated and trembling. What a miserable little poltroon had fear，engendered of unjust puni//shment，made of me in those days! I feared to return to the nursery，and feared to go forward to the parlour; ten minutes I stood in agitated hesitation; the vehement ringing of the breakfast-room bell decided me; I must enter.

"Who could want me?" I asked inwardly，as with both hands I turned the stiff door-handle，which，for a second or two，resisted my efforts. "What should I see besides Aunt Reed in the apartment?- a man or a woman?" The handle turned，the door unclosed，and passing through and curtseying low，I looked up at- a black pillar!- such，at least，appeared to me，at first sight，the straight，narrow，sable-clad shape standing erect on the rug: the grim face at the top was like a carved mask，placed above the shaft by way of capital.