standing by the window knocking the tassel of the blind to and fro, was
breathing quickly. The older woman looked through some papers in her
hand, put some notes of orders for groceries on a table by her side, and
flattened out a long letter on foreign paper on her knee. She looked at
Molly a little nervously, with cold blue eyes over gold-rimmed
spectacles reposing on her well-shaped nose, and began:

"Now that you are of age I must----"

But Molly interrupted her. In a very low voice, speaking quickly with
little gasps of impatience at any hesitation in her own utterance,--

"Before you talk to me about the arrangements, I want to tell you that I
have made up my mind to leave here at once. I know it will be a relief
to you as well as to me. Any promise you made to my father is satisfied
now, and you cannot wish to keep me here. You have always been ashamed
of me, you have always disliked me, and you have always deceived me. I
knew all this time that my mother was alive, and you never spoke of her
except once and then it was to insult me as deeply as a girl can be
insulted. If what you said were true--and I don't believe it"--her voice
shook as she spoke--"there would be all the more reason why I should go
to my poor mother. I want you to know, therefore, that with whatever
money comes to me from my father, I shall go to my mother and try to
make amends to her."

Mrs. Carteret stared over her spectacles at Molly in absolute amazement.
After fourteen years of very kind treatment, which had involved a great
deal of trouble, this uninteresting, silent niece had revealed herself
at last! Fourteen years devoted to the idealisation of the mother who
had deserted her, and to positive hatred of the relation who had