you so." And perhaps
wicked people, who might think we want his money, might say we planned
it, like the Babes in the Wood's uncle, and there might be a trial, and
you and me tried for making away with Bernard's little boy.'

'Betty, Betty,' gasped Angel, who never could follow the pace of
Betty's imagination, 'don't say such dreadful things! Godfrey's quite
safe, and I'm sure you couldn't help it.'

'That's the worst of it, I couldn't help it,' sobbed Betty; 'I can't
make him do as I tell him, and he won't--he won't--he won't call me
Aunt Elizabeth,' and she watered Miss Jane's convolvulus with fresh
tears.

'I am thinking,' said Angel hesitatingly, 'that perhaps we expected a
little too much to begin with; you see, we had had no practice before,
so perhaps it is natural we should make a few mistakes.'

'But we don't want to practise on Godfrey,' wailed Betty, 'and, if he
gets killed while we're learning, where will be the use of us getting
wise about it? Fancy us left to get quite old, two wise maiden aunts
with no nephew to be aunt to, and all Godfrey's dreadful money for our
own, and people thinking we liked it.'

The picture was altogether too dreadful for Angel to fancy at all.

'Don't you think perhaps it's better not to think about such dreadful
things happening?' she said hesitatingly; 'and Betty, do you know, I've
just remembered that I don't think we half thanked Pete properly.
Shall we go down to the Place and see if we can find him?'

'I think we'd better,' said Betty, rising; 'I'm sure I ought, for he's
saved Godfrey's neck from being broken, and me from either dying of a
broken heart or going quite mad. Fancy if you'd had to live alone,
Angel, or to come and see me in an asylum, perhaps talk to me through
bars. Yes, I think we'd better go and thank Pete.'

Angelica put her sister's tangled curls straight and tied on her hat,
and they went together rather slowly and mournfully down the road to
Oakfield Place.

They were quite at home there, and went in through the garden to the
back of the house, where Patty was feeding chickens in the orchard with
Nancy helping her. Nancy came running to meet the young ladies,
stopping in dismay at sight of Betty's tear-stained face, and Patty
asked anxiously if the young gentleman were hurt.

'Oh no, not at all, thank you,' said Angel, 'only he frightened us a
good deal. Is Peter in, Patty? We wanted to thank him for being so
sensible and helping God