so?"

"I don't think I can," said Betty. "You will hate me so, and so will
father--that is why I wanted to hide for ever from all of you; but,"
with sudden indignation, "that silly old 'Rover' brought me back. Oh,
it was dreadful!"

"What was?" asked Kitty patiently. She knew Betty's roundabout way of
telling a story, and waited. "What did you tell Aunt Pike? Do tell me,
Betty dear. I ought to know before I see her."

Betty dropped on to the window-seat and covered her face with her hands.
"Don't look at me; I don't want to see you look mad with me. It was
Aunt Pike's fault first of all. If she hadn't said nasty--oh, horrid
things about you, I shouldn't have told her what I did, but--but she
made me, Kitty; I couldn't help it, and--and I told her right out that
Anna could have cleared you long ago, and that she and Lettice were mean
and dishonourable to let you bear the blame for them all this time.
And when she spoke after that, her voice sounded so--oh, so dreadful, as
if she was talking in her sleep, or was far away, or drowning, and she
looked--oh, her face frightened me, and then she said, 'Did--Anna--
know?' all slow and gaspy like that, as if she hadn't any breath, and I
said 'Yes'--I _had_ to say 'yes' then, hadn't I? Of course I didn't
know it would make her ill, but she fell right down, all of a heap, and
oh, I nearly died of fright, and I ran and ran all the way to Wenmere
Woods, and I meant never to come back again--never! And it was all Mrs.
Henderson's fault that I did come--at least Mrs. Henderson's and
Bumble's, and," drawing herself up with great dignity, "I am never going
to speak to either of them again. When I had had my tea--she gave me
cream and jam, but not any ham--and when I had played about for a little
while, she told me she thought I had better be going home, as I was
alone; and at last I had to tell her I was never going home any more,
and I would be her little servant, if she would take me, only no one
must ever see me, or I should be discovered, but she wasn't a bit nice
as she generally is. She said, 'Oh, nonsense; little girls mustn't talk
like that. I am going to Gorlay to chapel, and I will take you back
with me.'

"Then I knew it wasn't any good to ask her to help me, and that I must
sleep in the wood with all the wild beasts and things"--Betty's face and
her story grew more and more melodramatic--"and as soon as she had gone
to put on her bonnet, I ran into the woo