"A dismissal from the house! You—you?"
"Yes. I am only here now on sufferance," I answered, with feeble bitterness, which ended in a flood of more feeble tears.
Jessie was terribly distressed; but she made gentle efforts at soothing me, and at last I sobbed myself into quietness like a child, with my head resting on her shoulder.
"But you shall never go—never while I live," she said, with her old queenliness of manner. "I may stand by and see this woman robbing me of the love that was mine, when pride forbids me to cry out; but you, my oldest, my best friend! She must not attempt that."
Her eyes sparkled, her beautiful face took a positive expression. How I loved her!
"But about my poor mother," she said; "what can we do?"
"Wait and watch," I answered.
She was very thoughtful, and the look of distress upon her face made my heart ache.
"Lottie is honest," she said. "Now I understand why she would never leave the room even to nurse you. Good girl! she has been more faithful to my mother than her own child; but who could have known this?"
"Be dutiful!" I whispered, for this conversation had taken away my last remnant of strength.