'Who locked you in ?' I asked.
"'I did, sir,' she replied; 'I locked myself in, and pushed the key out under the door.

I had to do it, or I should have gone off with those beastly soldiers.' "'I hope I haven't inconvenienced you, sir,' she added, stepping out; 'I left the lunch all laid.'" * * * * * Amenda's passion for soldiers was her one tribute to sentiment.

Towards all others of the male sex she maintained an attitude of callous unsusceptibility, and her engagements with them (which were numerous) were entered into or abandoned on grounds so sordid as to seriously shock Ethelbertha.
When she came to us she was engaged to a pork butcher--with a milkman in reserve.

For Amenda's sake we dealt with the man, but we never liked him, and we liked his pork still less.

When, therefore, Amenda announced to us that her engagement with him was "off," and intimated that her feelings would in no way suffer by our going elsewhere for our bacon, we secretly rejoiced.
"I am confident you have done right, Amenda," said Ethelbertha; "you would never have been happy with that man." "No, mum, I don't think I ever should," replied Amenda.