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“It isn’t nonsense,” said Joyce, and Meg said,
“Didn’t you know?”
“What I want to know is how you knew anything about it.”
“You can’t keep things from us. We always find them out,” said Meg. “And this time-this time we were playing at being mice in the drawing-room, and Mother came past with Mac, and she said, ‘I’ve decided not to send either of the girls to school for another term. That girl Je
“And then they went away. We sat ever so still and held our breath, and they went right away. Wasn’t it fortunate?”
“We stayed like mice without a single twitch until they had gone. We thought we should have died,” said Joyce.
They both shuddered.
Chapter IV
The next few days were got through as days of that sort are got through. You have to live them, and know them, and feel them, and when they are over you have to get on with the business of living again. It was all rather like a dream. The disturbing thing was that Miss Garstone’s sister suddenly appeared on the scene. Miss Garstone had met her once a year. She was ten years the younger of the two, and there was a certain dreadful likeness which made Je
“Let me see now, you’re seventeen, aren’t you? Well then, we must find you a job! What could you do?”
Je
The sharp grey eyes looked her over.
“Indeed? Will it keep you? What is it?”
“I’m to be governess to the two little girls at Alington House.”
“Oh. Well, that’s quite suitable. As you know, under my sister’s will made twenty years ago everything comes to me.”
“Yes, I know.”
Her thoughts went back a week to Garsty talking-“I really ought to see about making a will, Je
Je
“Why do you want it?”
“There’s a letter in it from my father to my mother.”
“How do you know?”
“Garsty told me when she was dying.”
The hard grey eyes looked at her. The hard voice said,
“You may look and see if it is there. We will go up together. If there is a letter from your father there you may have it, but I should say you would be wise not to count on finding it. If my sister was dying when she spoke of it, it is quite likely that she imagined the whole thing.”
Je
They went up the narrow twisting stair, Miss Garstone ahead, as if she were afraid that Je
“I mustn’t,” said Je
They came into the room where Garsty had died, and it wasn’t like the same room at all. The bed had been stripped and taken to pieces. It stood up on end now between the two little windows, and Je
“She said it was in here-that’s what she said.”
“Well, you can look and see if there is anything there, but don’t be disappointed if there isn’t.”
Je
The top long drawer was full. It had in it all those things which Je
And that was all. There was no letter from her father to her mother. There was nothing more at all.
“Well, are you satisfied?” said Miss Garstone.
Je
“Yes-it’s not here.” She turned and looked straight at Miss Garstone. “If it turns up anywhere, you will let me have it, won’t you?”
She expected a quick response, but she did not get it. Miss Garstone bit her lip and actually hesitated.
“Well, I suppose so,” she said at last. “But if it does turn up, I advise you to burn it straight away, and without reading it. That’s my advice, but I suppose you won’t take it.”
No, she wouldn’t take it. It was too much to ask of her. She did not make any reply out loud. In her own mind she said secretly and firmly, “It’s mine. And what I do with it is for me to say. Not for you, or for anyone else.”
Miss Garstone remained looking at her for a moment or two. Then she said,
“I don’t approve of keeping things-I’ve seen too much of it. But that’s a thing you’ll have to find out for yourself, Je
Je
“Well, that’s all, I think. If you want the chest of drawers you had better take it to Alington with you, then it won’t get mixed up with the things that are to be sold.”
Je
Miss Garstone was to go away that evening. She was to go back to her school, so they said good-bye at the door of the cottage. At the last moment she did a thing that surprised her. It really surprised her very much. She put out a hand and stopped Je
“There’s just one thing-” she said.
Je