Oh, you show me more and more
what I lose this day. God bless you! God bless--" and David's heart
filled to choking, and he burst out sobbing despairingly, and the hot
tears ran suddenly from his eyes over her hand as he kissed and kissed
it. Then, with an almost savage feeling of shame (for these were not
eyes that were wont to weep), he uttered one cry of despair and ran
away, leaving her pale and panting heavily.
She looked piteously at her hand, wet with a hero's tears, and for the
second time to-day her own began to gush. She felt a need of being
alone. She wanted to think on what she had done. She would hide in the
garden. She ran down the steps; lo! there was Mr. Hardie coming up the
gravel-walk. She uttered a little cry of impatience, and dashed
impetuously into the hot-house, driving the half-open door before her
with her person as well as her arm.
A scream of terror and pain issued from behind it, with a crash of
pottery.
Lucy wheeled round at the sound, and there was her aunt, flattened
against the flower-frame.
Lucy stood transfixed.
But soon her look of surprise gave way to a frown; ay! and a somber
one.
CHAPTER XVI.
THAT ready-minded lady extricated herself from the pots, and wriggled
out of the moral situation. "I was a listener, dear! an unwilling
listener; but now I do not regret it. How nobly you behaved!" and with
this she came at her with open arms, crying, "My own dear niece."
Her own dear niece recoiled with a shiver, and put up both her hands
as a shield.
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