much more comfortable, I am certain of
that, in your own mind, darling. And you know when we were little girls,
dear mother on her death-bed put her hands upon our heads and said, 'Be
loving sisters always, and never let anything come between you.' And
for father's sake, too, you should try to do it. Put aside all nonsense
about spies and domineering, and trust me as your sister, that's my own
darling Dolly."
"How can I resist you? I will make a clean breast of it;" Dolly sighed
deeply, but a wicked smile lay ambushed in her bright eyes and upon her
rosy lips. "The sad truth is that my heart has been quite sore since I
heard the shocking tidings about poor old Daddy Stokes. He went to bed
the other night with his best hat on, both his arms in an old muff he
found in the ditch, and his leathern breeches turned inside out."
"Then the poor old man had a cleaner breast than yours," cried Faith,
who had prepared her heart and eyes for tears of sympathy; "he goes upon
his knees every night, stiff as they are, and his granddaughter has
to help him up. But as for you, you are the most unfeeling, mocking,
godless, unnatural creature that ever never cared what became of
anybody. Here we are at the corner where the path divides. You go home
that way, and I'll go home by this."
"Well, I'm so glad! I really did believe that it was quite impossible to
put you in a rage. Now don't be in a hurry, dear, to beg my pardon."
"Of that you may be quite sure," cried Faith across the corner of the
meadow where the paths diverged; "I never was less in a passion in my
life; and it will be your place to apologise."
Dolly sent a merry laugh across the widening interval; and Faith, who
was just beginning to fear that she had been in a passion, was
convinced by that laugh that she had not. But the weight lifted from her
conscience fell more heavily upon her heart.
CHAPTER XLIX
EVIL COMMUNICATIONS
Although she pretended to be so merry, and really was so self-confident
(whenever anybody wanted to help her), Miss Dolly Darling, when left to
herself, was not like herself, as it used to be. Her nature was lively,
and her spirit very high; every one had petted her, before she could
have earned it by aught except childish beauty; and no one had left off
doing it, when she was bound to show better claim to it. All this made
doubt, and darkness, and the sense of not being her own mistress, very
snappish things to her, and she gained re
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