'Oh, dear, dear, dear!' exclaimed the other rapidly, making a motion
with her hand as if to brush away something disagreeable. 'That will
never do. You must put a stop to that.'

'I am sure we ought to.'

Virginia's thin, timid voice and weak manner were thrown into
painful contrast by Miss Nunn's personality.

'Yes, yes; we will talk about it presently. Poor little Monica! But
do tell me about yourself and Miss Madden. It is so long since I
heard about you.'

'Indeed I ought to have written. I remember that at the end of our
correspondence I remained in your debt. But it was a troublesome and
depressing time with me. I had nothing but groans and moans to
send.'

'You didn't stay long, I trust, with that trying Mrs. Carr?'

'Three years!' sighed Virginia.

'Oh, your patience!'

'I wished to leave again and again. But at the end she always begged
me not to desert her--that was how she put it. After all, I never
had the heart to go.'

'Very kind of you, but--those questions are so difficult to
decide. Self-sacrifice may be quite wrong, I'm afraid.'