lay on the sofa with a ghastly white face, and burst into nervous
troubled weeping whenever she was spoken to.

"We found her in such a queer state," said Jasmine; but Miss Egerton
held up a warning hand.

"Let it rest now, my dear," she said; "we need not go into the story
in Daisy's presence; she wants perfect quiet. Primrose, she has been
longing so for you; will you sit down by her, and hold her hand?"

Daisy opened her eyes when she heard Primrose's name, and held up a
hot little hand to her sister, who clasped it very firmly.

"I want to speak to you all by yourself, Primrose," she whispered.
"Please ask Jasmine, and Miss Egerton, and Bridget to go away. I want
to say something most important to you."

"Leave us for a moment," said Primrose to the others; and Jasmine went
down with Miss Egerton to the sitting-room.

The moment Daisy found herself quite alone with Primrose she raised
her head, ceased crying, and looked at her sister with bright feverish
eyes, and cheeks that burned.

"Primrose," she said, "would you think it very, very wrong of me if I
did something that wasn't in itself the very best thing to do, but
something that I had to do to prevent a dreadful ogre putting me down
into a dark dungeon? Would it be very wrong of me to do a very little
thing to prevent it, Primrose?"