the transparent muslin, with
no other ornament than a lilac ribbon at the waist, was peculiarly
becoming to her slender figure and delicate face. Her husband seemed
to think so too, for he looked at her with a fond admiring glance as
he offered her his arm to return to the house.
'I mustn't forget to introduce Miss Crofton to you, Augusta,' he
said; 'a school friend of Milly's, who has kindly accepted my
invitation to spend the holidays with her.'
Mrs. Darrell gave me her hand; but I fancied that she did so rather
coldly, and I had an uneasy sense that I was not very welcome to the
new mistress of Thornleigh.
'You will find your old rooms all ready for you, Milly,' she said;
'I suppose we had better put Miss Crofton in the blue room--next
yours?'
'If you please, Mrs. Darrell.'
'What, Milly, won't you call me mamma?'
Milly was silent for a few moments, with a pained expression in her
face.
'Pray, forgive me,' she said in a low voice; 'I cannot call any one
by that name.'
Augusta Darrell kissed her again silently.
'It shall be as you wish, dear,' she said, after a pause.
A rosy-cheeked, pleasant-looking girl, who had been accustomed to
wait on Milly in the old time, came forward to meet us, and ran
before us to our rooms, expressing her delight at her young lady's
return all the way she went.
The rooms were very pretty, and were situated in that portion of the
house which looked towards the sea. There was a sitting-room,
brightly furnished with some light kind of wood, and with chintz
hangings all over rose-buds and butterflies. This had been Milly's
schoolroom, and there was a good many books in two pretty-looking
bookcases on each side of the fireplace. Besides these, there were
some curious old cabinets full of shells and china. It was
altogether the prettiest, most homelike room one could imagine.
Opening out of this, there was a large airy bedroom, with three
windows commanding that glorious view of moorland and sea; and
beyond that, a dainty little dressing-room. The next door in the
corridor opened into the room that had been allotted to me; a large
comfortable-looking room, in which there was an old-fashioned
mahogany four-post bed with blue-damask curtains.
I went to Milly's dressing-room when my own simple toilet was
finished, and stood by the open window talking to her while she
arranged her hair. She dismissed her little maid directly I went
into the room, and I felt she had so
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