ere's your room," she announced, as they reached the upper landing.
She flung open a door, and the new governess found herself stepping
forth into utter darkness, where Nan herself was groping about for
matches. The air of the place was cold and damp. It had the feel of a
room that was unused. It was barren and cheerless. But in the second
preceding Nan's discovery of the matches Miss Blake hoped that when the
gas was lit it would seem more inviting. But it did not. It was bare
and undecorated, and presented anything but an attractive appearance.
The stranger drew two long pins from her hat without saying a word.
Nan turned on her heel and made to leave the room.
"Will you please tell me where I can find some warm water?" inquired
Miss Blake.
"Washstand in that little dressing-room. Left-hand faucet," announced
Nan, curtly, and marched away.
The governess gently closed the door.
Perhaps if Nan had remained there to see she would have wondered if
Miss Blake were quite in her right mind. Her behavior was certainly
extraordinary. The tears rained down her cheeks, and she did not try
to stop them. She just stood in the middle of the floor and gazed
about at the awkwardly-placed furniture, the faded carpet, the bare
walls, and the ugly mantel-piece as if she could not take her eyes from
them. She turned slowly from one thing to another, and presently, in a
sort of timid, hungry way, she stretched out her hand and touched each
separate object with her caressing fingers, crying very hard the while
and murmuring to herself in so low a voice that no one could have
overheard.
Even Nan must have softened to her as she stood there crying softly and
smiling through her tears at this bare and unfamiliar room. Even Nan
must have been moved to wonder what Miss Blake had suffered that she
was so glad to get into such an uninviting shelter as this.
But Nan was down stairs in the basement watching Delia prepare a dainty
supper for the governess, and scowling at her as she saw to what
trouble she went to make it appetizing and delicate.
"There, Delia Connor!" she burst out resentfully, "you're the worst
turn-coat I ever saw in my life! This very afternoon you looked black
as thunder when you thought she had come, and now you are just dancing
attendance on her, as if she was the best friend you ever had!"
"Perhaps she is," responded Delia, placing sprigs of parsley neatly
about the sliced chicken and setting
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