"More like her mother than father. I suppose deceit and dissimulation is ingrained in her nature. She will be a continual reminder to me of how I was duped."
Harebell's tired little face looked very sweet and content in her sleep; her dark silky curls clustered round her forehead, and accentuated the whiteness of her skin. She turned over on her side, muttering:
"She turned into stone."
Mrs. Keith hastily left the room.
[CHAPTER II]
FIRST DAYS
HAREBELL arrived downstairs the next morning in the best of spirits. Andy and she had managed to have a good deal of talk together before Mrs. Keith came into the dining-room. They had discussed the weather, the neighbourhood, the difference between black and white skins, the cure for snake bites, and the possibility of a puppy taking up its abode at Gable Lodge. Prayers were had; then Andy brought in the breakfast, and when he had left the room, Mrs. Keith addressed her niece.
"Till I find a governess for you, you can amuse yourself as you like. I am always busy in the morning, and I do not wish to be disturbed. In the afternoon you will walk out with me. There is a small sitting-room at the end of this passage which has been got ready for your use. I expect you to be tidy and always punctual at meals."
Harebell listened attentively. She nodded when her aunt had finished speaking.
"It sounds very nice," she said, "but there's only one thing in the world I want here, and I really don't know how I'm going to live without it—I could do with a very little tiny one! And Andy thinks it could be got if you let him look for it."