"I thought it was a dream," she said, "all a dream, and I dreaded to awake; and now I do not understand. Where am I? And why are you here, Mrs. Thorpe? How came we beneath the same roof--you who are good--and I who--thank God--if there is a God--I who am bad?"
Mrs. Thorpe looked into the girl's face. What should she say to her? What could she tell her? How could she win her?
"You have been ill for a time, Margaret, and I have been caring for you," she said.
"Where am I? Who brought me here, and why have you been caring for me?"
"This is my home. I found you in need and brought you here. I am very glad to have you, Margaret; and you were ill, you know." But Mrs. Thorpe noticed that there was a hard and sullen look on the girl's face. She did not speak for some time, and then she said:
"I do not know why you brought me here, Mrs. Thorpe. Perhaps you expect me to thank you for what you have done for me. You have saved my life, no doubt. There was a time when I was worth saving--and you could have saved me--but now I had rather have died in the street than to have taken one favor from your hand."
Mrs. Thorpe stepped to the girl's side and slipped an arm about her.
"Margaret," she said, "you have an old grievance against me, and justly, too. But girl, girl, do you think that I, too, have not suffered for that day's ignorance and folly? Do you think that the condemnation that the past has brought is more bitter upon you than it is upon me? Do you think that the stain of your sin is upon you alone? Margaret, Margaret, hear me. As we stand before God, I do believe I am the guiltier woman of the two." Mrs. Thorpe's voice choked with sobs and her face was wet with tears. "I sent you, passionate and misguided, to your sin; you but did the thing I drove you to. In the sight of our fellow men the condemnation is upon you; but how blind and ignorant is the judgment of men! Yet this I will say: I never meant to harm you, Margaret. I had no slightest thought of what it meant to you and your mother. I was ignorant, and oh, I, too, was passionate and misguided! But now that I have found you again, now that I have you here in my home while you need me and I need you--and I do need you, Margaret--stay with me, stay here with me."
"Stay with you? Stay here with you? Little you know what it is you ask, Mrs. Thorpe--little you know! I must get back--yes, back."
"I will not let you go, Margaret. I will never let you go."