"So it is! so it was!" says father. "Good for everybody. And a good thing to lay by a few shillings too! But it isn't worth while to make our Kitty ill. That 'ud cost a lot more shillings than we could have laid by. Eh, Kitty? Come, cheer up!" says he. "We'll see what we can do to make you right again."
How good they were to me, both father and mother!—and I deceiving them all the while!
"Now I must go and see if Rupert has turned up," says father. "Kitty must get a run on the common, eh?"
And all at once it darted into my head about Rupert the evening before, and how he had said good-bye. I started up in a moment.
"O father! Oh, see about Rupert!" I cried, hardly able to speak yet, but scared at the thought that had come to me.
"To be sure I will," says he. "You wouldn't like Rupert to be ill, eh?"
"I hope he is—I hope it is that—I hope it isn't anything worse," I cried, scarce knowing what I said; and father did stare, but, I went on, pretty near out of breath with fright—
"Oh, do make haste and see."
"To be sure I will," says father again. "Why, Kitty, what's come over you to-day?"
That very moment the kitchen door was pushed open, and Mrs. Bowman stood there.