truthfulness causing her to arrest the
confession Margaret was on the point of making,
though her curiosity was itching to hear it.
"Stop. Mr. Thornton has told me nothing.
You do not know my son. You are not
worthy to know him. He said this. Listen,
young lady, that you may understand, if you
can, what sort of a man you rejected. This
Milton manufacturer, his great tender heart
scorned as it was scorned, said to me only
last night, ' Go to her. I have good reason
to know that she is in some strait, arising
out of some attachment; and she needs
womanly counsel.' I believe those were his
very words. Farther than that — beyond
admitting the fact of your being at the
Outwood station with a gentleman on the
evening of the twenty-first — he has said
nothing — not one word against you. If he
has knowledge of anything which should
make you sob so, he keeps it to himself."

Margaret's face was still hidden in her
hands, the fingers of which were wet with
tears. Mrs. Thornton was a little mollified.

"Come, Miss Hale. There may be
circumstances, I'll allow, that, if explained, may
take off from the seeming impropriety."

Still no answer. Margaret was considering
what to say; she wished to stand well
with Mrs. Thornton; and yet she could not,
might not, give any explanation. Mrs.
Thornton grew impatient.

"I shall be sorry to break off an acquaintance;
but for Fanny's sake—as I told my
son, if Fanny had done so we should consider
it a great disgrace—and Fanny might be led
away——"

"I can give you no explanation," said
Margaret, in a low voice. "'I have done
wrong, but not in the way you think or
know about. I think Mr. Thornton judges
me more mercifully than you; "—she had
hard work to keep herself from choking
with her tears — " but, I believe, madam, you
mean to do rightly."

"Thank you," said Mrs. Thornton, drawing
herself up; "I was not aware that my
meaning was doubted. It is the last time I
shall interfere. I was unwilling to
consent to do it when your mother asked me.
I had not approved of my son's attachment
to you while I only suspected it. You did
not appear to me worthy of him. But when
you compromised yourself as you did at the
time of the riot, and exposed yourself to the
comments of servants and workpeople, I felt
it was no longer right to set myself against
my son's wish of proposing to you— a wish, by
the way, which he had always denied
entertaining until the day of the riot." Margaret
winced, and drew in her breath with a long,
hissing sound; of which, however, Mrs.
Thornton took no notice. " He came; you
had apparently changed your mind. I told
my son yesterday, that I thought it
possible, short as was the interval, you might
have heard or learnt something of this other
lover—— "

"What must you think of me, madam?"
asked Margaret, throwing her head back
with proud disdain, till her throat curved
outwards like a swan's. " You can say
nothing more, Mrs. Thornton. I decline
every attempt to justify myself for anything.
You must allow me to leave the room."

And she swept out of it with the noiseless
grace of an offended princess. Mrs. Thornton
had quite enough of natural humour to make
her feel the ludicrousness of the position in
which she was left. There was nothing for
it but to show herself out. She was not
particularly annoyed at Margaret's way of
behaving. She did not care enough for her for
that. She had taken Mrs. Thornton's
remonstrance to the full as keenly to heart as
that lady expected; and Margaret's passion
at once mollified her visitor far more than
any silence or reserve could have done. It
showed the effect of her words. " My young
lady," thought Mrs. Thornton, to herself;
"you've a pretty good temper of your own.
If John and you had come together, he would
have had to keep a tight hand over you, to
make you know your place. But I don't
think you will go a-walking again with your
beau at such an hour of the day in a hurry.
You've too much pride and spirit in you for
that. I like to see a girl fly out at the notion
of being talked about. It shows they're
neither giddy, nor bold by nature. As for
that girl she might be bold, but she'd never
be giddy. I'll do her that justice. Now as
to Fanny, she'd be giddy, and not bold. She's
no courage in her, poor thing!"

Mr. Thornton was not spending the morning
so satisfactorily as his mother. She at
any rate was fulfilling her determined
purpose. He was trying to understand where
he stood; what damage the strike had done
him. A good deal of capital was locked
up in new and expensive machinery; and he
had also bought cotton largely, with a view
to some great orders which lie had in hand.
The strike had thrown him terribly behindhand,
as to the completion of these orders.
Even with his own accustomed and skilled
workpeople, he would have had some
difficulty in fulfilling his engagements; as it was,
the incompetence of the Irish hands, who had
to be trained to their work at a time requiring
unusual activity, was a daily annoyance.

It was not a favourable hour for Higgins
to make his request. But he had promised
Margaret to do it at any cost. So, though
every moment added to his repugnance, his
pride, and his sullenness of temper, he stood
leaning against the dead wall, hour after
hour, first on one leg, then on the other. At
last the latch was sharply lifted, and out came
Mr. Thornton.

"I want for to speak to you, sir."

"Can't stay now, my man. I'm too late as
it is."