e articles belonging to Janey, she threw them out with great
impatience.

"You may surely mend your things yourself, you are big enough. You can
talk for yourself and me too," cried Ursula with sudden impetuosity; and
then she sat and worked, her needle flying through the meshes of her
darning, though it is hard to darn stockings in that impassioned way.
They were socks of Johnnie's, however, with holes in the heels that you
could put your fist through, and the way in which the big spans filled
themselves up under this influence was wonderful to see. Janey, who was
not fond of mending, set to work quite humbly under the influence of
this example, and made two or three attempts to begin a conversation but
without avail.

The girls were seated thus in a disturbed and restless silence, working
as if for their lives, when the usual little jar of the gate and sound
of the bell downstairs announced a visitor. On ordinary occasions, they
were both in the habit of rushing to the window when the gate was opened
to see who was coming, and Janey had thrown aside her work to do so when
a look from Ursula stopped her. High-spirited as Janey was, she did not
dare to disobey that look. By right of the passion that had got
possession of her, Ursula took the absolute command of the situation in
a way she had never done before, and some sudden intuition made her
aware who it was who was coming. The girls both sat there still and
breathless, waiting for his appearance. He never came in the day, never
had been seen in the Parsonage at that hour before, and yet Ursula was
as certain who it was as if she had seen him a mile off. He came into
the room, himself looking a little breathless and disturbed, and gave a
quick impatient look at Janey as he went up to her sister. Ursula saw it
and understood well enough. Janey was in his way; he had come this
morning with a special purpose. Her heart sank down to her very shoes,
and then rose again with a feverish and unreal leap. Was it not her duty
to take the initiative, to cut away the very ground from beneath his
feet? He took a seat, not far from where she was sitting, and made an
effort to begin a little ordinary conversation, throwing frequent
glances at Janey. He said it was a fine day, which was self-evident;
that he almost feared they would be out; that he had come to--to
tell her something he had forgotten last night, about--yes,
about--Cassiopeia's chair, to correct what he said about Or