Kates Ordeal | Page 5

it worth while calling to see her about it."
"How could she, when we had to write those letters to London directly?
There, Mary, isn't that a pretty print? I am to wear print dresses and
holland aprons in the morning, but Marion says we may wear what we
like in the afternoon, and so I am going to have a new dress for best,
and what I have been wearing on Sunday I shall wear every day there."
"Yes," answered Mary, but it was in rather an absent-minded manner,
for she felt puzzled about Kate, and her strange anxiety lest she should
talk about this situation she had obtained.
On Sunday, when the girls met as usual on their way to school, the

prospects of their two companions were again discussed, and although
a few, like Esther, wished they could go to London as Kate was going,
it was agreed that Mary was very fortunate in getting such a good
situation, although, as it was remarked, Miss Eldon always did get her
girls excellent places.
Kate felt rather vexed at having to hear all the excellencies of this
despised situation enumerated, and was not sorry to reach school, but
her teacher's first words vexed her still more, and put her into a fright
too.
"I was coming to see your mother last Tuesday, Kate; I hope she has
not been ill."
"Oh, no, ma'am; she's quite well, thank you," answered Kate.
"Then it was not illness prevented her from coming to see me on
Monday?"
Kate coloured and hung her head, as she answered, "No, ma'am."
"Did you forget to deliver my message? I think I told you I wanted to
see her about a situation for you."
"You said you wanted to see her, ma'am, but--but I forgot it," said Kate,
under her breath.
"Well, never mind, it does not matter much, Kate, for I hear you have a
situation in London now," said Miss Eldon, thinking Kate was vexed
and angry with herself for having forgotten her message. But the fact
was, Kate, who was neither an untruthful nor deceitful girl, shrank from
telling a direct lie. She had yielded to the temptation last Sunday
because, as she had persuaded herself then, she was not required to tell
an untruth, but merely to hold her tongue about the message; but now
she found that to hide that wrong-doing a direct lie must be told, and,
although it made her uncomfortable and unhappy, it was done. But she
protested again and again to her own conscience that she would never
do it again. Before she left school, however, she had another fright.

"When do you go to London, Kate?" asked her teacher, as the girls
were leaving.
"To-morrow week, ma'am," said Kate.
"Well, I will try and see you one day in the week, for I want to hear all
about your new situation and what your mother thinks of it," said Miss
Eldon, quite unconscious of the panic her words had put Kate into.
It made her last days at home the most miserable she had ever spent, for
Miss Eldon did not come until Saturday afternoon, but Kate had been
in suspense every hour during the whole week, and yet the foolish girl
could not summon up the courage necessary to tell her mother the truth
about the matter.
The dreadful moment arrived at last, when there came a knock at the
door, and Miss Eldon entering, was soon seated in their little back room,
and Kate's mother with her.
"I was so much surprised to hear that Kate was going to London,"
began the lady, removing her gloves for an easy chat.
"Yes, ma'am, it was a surprise to me, and something of a shock too, I
may say, for I had rather she had got a nice comfortable place nearer
home."
"Yes, it is a pity I did not hear of this vacancy at Lady Hazeldean's a
day or two sooner, for I can quite understand how anxious you must
feel at a young girl like Kate leaving home."
"Yes, ma'am, and if it had been anybody but my own brother that
offered it, she should not have gone, but he has been a good friend to
me, and I cannot afford to offend him. If I could only have written and
told him I had a place in view for her, it would have been different. I
suppose, ma'am, if you had heard of this nursery-maid's place a week
earlier, you would have recommended Kate for it, as she spoke to you,
I think, before Mary Green."

"Yes, she did, and I recommended her to Lady Hazeldean, when I
called there and heard of it, for I thought it would be just the place for
Kate;