sat in her bedroom, and wondered within herself whether anything was
disturbing Lucy's bright little mind.

It was curious to note how Lucy Money's soft ways had won upon Minola.
Lucy twined herself round the affections of the stronger girl, and
clung to her. Mrs. Money was pleased, amused, and touched by the sight.
The calm Theresa was a little annoyed, considering Lucy to show thereby
a lack of the composure and dignity befitting a woman; and Mary
Blanchet was sometimes disposed to be jealous. Minola herself was
filled with affectionate kindness for the overgrown child, not
untempered with a dash of pity and wonder. She was sometimes inclined
to address the girl in certain lines from Joanna Baillie, forgotten now
even of most readers of poetry, and ask her, "Thou sweetest thing that
e'er didst fix its lightly-fibred spray on the rude rock, ah! wouldst
thou cling to _me_?" For whatever the outer world and its lookers-on
may have thought of her, it is certain that Minola did still believe
herself to be cold, unloving, hard to warm toward her fellow-beings.
The unrestrained, unaffected love of Lucy filled her at once with
surprise and a sweeter, softer feeling.

So when she heard the patter of feet at her door she hardly had to wait
for the familiar tap and the familiar voice to know that Lucelet was
there. Minola opened the door, and Lucelet came in with her hair all
loosely around her, and her eyes sparkling.

"May I sit a little and talk?" and without waiting for an answer she
coiled herself on the hearthrug near the chair on which Minola had been
sitting. "You sit there again, Nola. Are you glad to see me?"

"Very, very glad, Lucy dear."

"Do you love me, master? no?" For Minola had, among other things, been
teaching Lucy to read Shakespeare, and Lucy had just become enamored of
Ariel's tender question, and was delighted to turn it to her own
account.

"Dearly, my delicate Ariel," said Minola, carrying on the quotation; and
Lucy positively crimsoned with a double delight, having her quotation
understood and answered, and an assurance of affection given.

"Why don't you let down your hair, Nola? Do let me see it now completely
down. I'll do it--allow me." And she sprang up, came behind Minola, and
"undid" all her hair, so that it fell around her back and shoulders.
Minola could hardly keep from blushing to be thus made a picture of and
openly admired. "There, that is perfectly beautiful! You look like Lady
Go