Like  all  Mrs.  Gaskell' s  stories,  Cousin  Phillis  leaves
one  the  better  for  having  read  it.  All  the  characters
at  the  farm  are  so  captivating.  Cousin  Paul,  the
narrator,  is  somewhat  commonplace,  but  he  serves  to
bring  out  the  good  qualities  of  his  relatives  ;  and
Holdsworth  gives  the  sharp  contrast  which  alters  the
even  current  of  the  regular  life  at  the  farm.  It  is  too
good  to  be  spoilt,  and  so  Phillis  is  not  allowed  to  die
of  her  disappointed  passion.  Like  the  good,  sensible
creature  she  is,  she  comes  through  chastened,  but  not
entirely  crushed.
The  old  servants  are  never  overlooked.  The  novehst,
like  Scott  and  Ian  Maclaren,  was  ever  appreciative,
and  quite  familiar  with  the  best  type  of  servant  maid.
Betty,  the  familiar  servant  of  Mrs.  Gaskell' s  stories,
is  a  character  from  life,  for  she  had  the  quaint  Cheshire
dialect  and  the  brusque  familiarity  which  North
Country  servants  are  noted  for.  The  family  welfare
was  safe  in  her  keeping,  and  right  well  did  she  guard
the  good  name  of  her  employers.
Cousin  Paul  "  gets  the  wind  taken  out  of  his  sails,"
when  Betty  accosts  him,  and  he  is  made  to  feel  that
her  honour  and  respect  for  Phillis  are  much  above  his
own.  "  '  Poor  lad !  You're  but  a  big  child  after
all  ;  and  you've  likely  never  beared  of  a  fever-flush.
