is, Maggie, because quite unexpectedly I have learned to love you."

"You--to love me--me?" said Maggie.

"Yes."

Maggie felt herself trembling. She could not reply. She did not
understand that she returned the love so suddenly given to her--given
to her, too, in her moment of deepest degradation, of her most utter
misery. Once again the feeling that she must go, that she could not
face confession and the scorn of the school, and the awful words of
Bo-peep, and her poor mother as Bo-peep's wife, overpowered her.

"You are--very kind," she said in a broken voice; "and the cocoa was
good; and, if you don't mind--I will--go to bed now, and
perhaps--sleep a little."

"What have you been doing with all those lovely curios?" said Aneta.

"I?" said Maggie. "I--oh, I like to look at them."

"Do pick up that cross which is lying on the floor, and let me examine
it."

Maggie did so rather unwillingly.

"Please bring over all the other things, and let me look at them,"
said Aneta then.

Maggie obeyed, but grudgingly, as though she did not care that Aneta
should handle them.

"Why have you taken them out of their boxes and put them all in a
muddle like this?" said Aneta.

"I--I wanted something to do," said Maggie. "I couldn't sleep."

"Was that the only reason--honor bright?" said Aneta.

Maggie dropped her eyes.

Aneta did not question her any further, but she drew her down to a low
chair by the fire, and put a hand on her lap, and kept on looking at
the treasures: the bracelets, the crosses, the brooches, the quaint
designs belonging to a bygone period. After a time she said, "I am not
at all sure--I am not a real judge of treasures; but I have an uncle,
Sir Charles Lysle, who knows more about these things than any one else
in London; and if he thinks what I am inclined to think with regard to
the contents of these two boxes, you will be"----She stopped
abruptly.

Maggie's eyes were shining. "Aneta," she said, "don't talk of these
any more; and don't talk either of wealth or poverty any more. There
is something I want to say. When you came into my room just now I was
packing up to run away."

"Oh yes, I know that," said Aneta. "I saw that you had that intention
the moment I entered the room."

"And you said nothing!"

"Why should I? I didn't want to force your confidence. But you're not
going to run away now, Mags?" She bent towards her and kissed her on
the forehead.

"Yes," said Maggie, trembling.