Hollowmell | Page 4

was
years and years before her on the road--further by a long way than all
the years of her life. She felt this but could not say it; it seemed to
hover through her mind like a shadow, and she could not grasp it in
order to put it into words.
Mabel saw how puzzled she was, and realized how dangerous it might
be to her peace to communicate difficulties of such a nature in her
present impressionable state; she therefore endeavoured to divert her
mind into a safer channel by getting her to talk about herself.
"It is very silly of me," she said, "to speak thus to you who have so
newly begun the race. What should you know of such things? Come,
we won't talk about them, and I daresay I shall grow out of such morbid
notions in time; tell me about yourself, I am sure it will do me good;
you were telling me about how different you felt. Please do go on."
"But are you sure it won't affect you as it did before? I would like to

tell you about it because of what it has led me to do, and because I
would like you to feel as I do, if, as you say, you have never felt it."
And Minnie looked at her with great tears in her eyes, and with a great
pity in her warm generous heart, wishing she could give half her
happiness to her friend.
"Go on, dear," said Mabel, "you don't know how much good it will do
me."
"Well, but I must tell you, Mabel, that although I am very happy, it
sometimes troubles me to think how little I am changed outwardly, and
how nobody but yourself would believe anything of all I have told you.
I am sure Mona Cameron wouldn't"--she stopped suddenly, half
inclined to interrupt herself in order to retail to Mabel the incident of
the previous day, but thinking better of it, she resumed--"It does trouble
me more than a little, sometimes, but I'm not going to lot it. I know
about the difference, and you know about it, and better than all, God
who wrought it knows about it, so what can it matter whether the world
knows about it or not?"
"But, Minnie," interrupted Mabel, "I don't see that you are quite right
there; it must be of consequence that we show to the world what side
we are on."--"O, yes, of course," replied Minnie hastily, "I was just
coming to that--I meant the school-girls particularly when I said the
world just now, because I know it will take a long time to convince
them of the reality of this--indeed I am inclined to think they won't be
convinced, it won't suit their ideas--but there, I am again! judging them
just in the very way I am condemning them for judging me. Oh, dear,
what a long time it will take before I get out of my old way of speaking
without thought, for which my new way of thinking rebukes me a
thousand times a day!"
"Patience, dear," recommended Mabel, knowing well what a hard
recommendation it was to follow, but feeling she must say something.
"Yes, Mabel," returned Minnie, "I am learning patience--even I, who
never knew what restraint meant all my life, am learning what true
freedom is for the first time."

Mabel looked down at her wistfully, as if half inclined to say
something, but remembering her danger she remained silent.
"And that just reminds me," continued Minnie, after a moment's pause,
"that I have not yet told you the new idea I have been so longing to
have your opinion upon, since ever it came into my head."
"Well, you must make haste," Mabel answered, "you see its quite late
already.
"O, it won't take long! I'll just tell you about it, and we can go into it
some other time, its only a project, you know, and of course I wanted to
have your opinion and advice first, and your help afterwards."
"All of which you may count on," said Mabel smiling.
"Well, then, I must ask you in the first place, if you know the row of
houses down beside the pit which papa built for the miners?"
"Yes, I pass it every day coming to school."
"Then you will probably have noticed how ill-kept and dirty the houses
are, and how untidy the women and children are, who continually
lounge and romp about the doors."
"Indeed I have," returned Mabel, "and I have often thought what a pity
it was that those houses which might be made so beautiful, should be
kept in such a state."
"That is just what papa was saying the other morning at breakfast. He
said that he