"Not for her," said Hetta.

"Yes he is," said Mrs. Bell, "and I have promised that she shall
take it." Susan as she heard this sank gently into the chair behind
her, and her eyes became full of tears. The intimation was almost
too much for her.

"Oh, mother!" said Hetta.

"But I particularly said that it was to mean nothing."

"Oh, mother, that makes it worse."

Why should Hetta interfere in this way, thought Susan to herself.
Had she interfered when Mr. Beckard gave Hetta a testament bound in
Morocco? had not she smiled, and looked gratified, and kissed her
sister, and declared that Phineas Beckard was a nice dear man, and
by far the most elegant preacher at the Springs? Why should Hetta
be so cruel?

"I don't see that, my dear," said the mother. Hetta would not
explain before her sister, so they all went to bed.

On the Thursday evening the drawing was finished. Not a word had
been said about it, at any rate in his presence, and he had gone on
working in silence. "There," said he, late on the Thursday evening,
"I don't know that it will be any better if I go on daubing for
another hour. There, Miss Susan; there's another bridge. I hope
that will neither burst with the frost, nor yet be destroyed by
fire," and he gave it a light flip with his fingers and sent it