The home of Persis was not many yards distant; Ned and his niece escorted her to the porch, where they parted, after Norah had expressed her grateful thanks to her friend.
"You will come to your mother's now, my girl," said Franks, "and warm yourself with a good cup of tea before we start on our walk to the town?"
"I should be so glad," replied Norah, whose feet and hands were numbed with the cold, and who dearly loved a visit to her own humble home; "but is not our cottage out of the way?"
"Ay, it lies a good bit to the south," answered Ned, "'twill take us nigh a mile round."
"Then I don't know—I'm not sure whether I ought to go there," said the hesitating girl. "Mistress only gave me leave to visit the workhouse, she bade me be back as soon as possible; and though Mrs. Cobb (she's the charwoman, you know), can make the tea, and clear away, she cannot read in the evening, and my lady will be all alone."
"That's right, Norah, think first of duty; always show yourself worthy of your mistress's trust."
"But if my mother should expect me—"
"You gave her no reason to do so," said Ned, "and three days will bring round the first Monday in the month, when you always get leave to come home. So let's sheer off at once, my girl, and try if brisk walking will not warm you as well as a cup of hot tea."
"I may look out for squalls for this, when next I see Bessy," thought the sailor; "but no matter, all will have blown over before Norah comes home on Monday."
Notwithstanding the darkness and the cold, North did not find her walk tedious as she tripped by her uncle's side. Her heart was very full of the sorrows of Sophy, and she was glad to speak of her to one who listened with interest, and who did not break out into abuse of the miserable girl, as it was more than probable that Bessy and Dan would have done. It was not in the nature of Franks to spurn the fallen; and he knew the evil of his nature too well to cast the first stone at others.