or why Ermine was unlike herself, and papa restless and anxious about
her. They thought me too young to be told, and the atmosphere made
me cross and fretful, and papa was displeased with me, and Ermine
tried in vain to make me good; poor patient Ermine, even then the
chief sufferer!"

"I can quite imagine the discomfort and fret of being in ignorance
all the time."

"Dear Ermine says she longed to tell me, but she had been forbidden,
and she went on blaming herself and trying to make me enjoy my
holidays as usual, till this dreadful day, when I had worried her
intolerably about going to this music meeting, and she found
reasoning only made me worse. She still wrote her note of refusal,
and asked me to light the taper; I dashed down the match in a frenzy
of temper and--"

She paused for breath, and Grace squeezed her hand.

"We did not see it at first, and then she threw herself down and
ordered me not to come near. Every one was there directly, I
believe, but it burst out again and again, and was not put out till
they all thought she had not an hour to live. There was no pain, and
there she lay, all calmness, comforting us all, and making papa and
Edward promise to forgive me--me, who only wished they would kill me!
And the next day he came; he was just going to sail, and they thought
nothing would hurt her then. I saw him while he was waiting, and
never did I see such a fixed deathly face. But they said she found
words to cheer and soothe him."