‘What a silence!’ said Lily, after about a quarter of an hour.
‘What made you start, Jane?’ said William.
‘Did I?’ said Jane.
‘My speaking, I suppose,’ said Lily, ‘breaking the awful spell of silence.’
‘How red you look, Jane. What is the matter?’ said William.
‘Do I?’ asked Jane, becoming still redder.
‘It is holding your face down over that baby’s hood,’ said Emily, ‘you will sacrifice the colour of your nose to your nephew.’
Claude now asked Jane for the sealing-wax, folded up his letter, sealed it, put on a stamp, and as Jane was leaving the room at bedtime, said, ‘Jenny, my dear, as you go by, just put that letter in the post-bag.’
Jane obeyed, and left the room. Claude soon after took the letter out of the bag, went to Emily’s door, listened to ascertain that Jane was not there, and then knocked and was admitted.
‘I could not help coming,’ said he, ‘to tell you of the trap in which Brownie has been caught.’