She bowed in acceptance of Fosters offer of a glass of wine after supper, but treated him and the other two immediately as though they had been interrogating bigwigs.
'They wormed nothing out of me,' she said to her mistress at night, undressing her.

'But what a set they are! They've got such comfortable places, they've all their days and hours for talk of the doings of their superiors.

They read the vilest of those town papers, and they put their two and two together of what is happening in and about.

And not one of the footmen thinks of staying, because it 's so dull; and they and the maids object--did one ever hear ?--to the three uppers retiring, when they 've done dining, to the private room to dessert.' 'That is the custom ?' observed her mistress.
'Foster carries the decanter, ma'am, and Mrs.Bridges the biscuits, and Bartlett the plate of fruit, and they march out in order.' 'The man at the head of the procession, probably.' 'Oh yes.

And the others, though they have everything except the wine and dessert, don't like it.