"Of course; I'll hold it. I'll manage to get along. They're paying me very liberally and it's all yours, every cent. You see, living there I can get along quite a while without any money of my own. I don't even need to buy any clothes just yet. We can afford a nurse for you, I think."
But Nell shook her head stubbornly; she did not want a nurse. All she wanted was to be left alone.
Mary was saying good-by when something else occurred to her.
"It's just one question," she explained. "In case I should be asked about it again I ought to know. And I'm really curious on my own account, although it isn't any of my business. What is it that they say about Mrs. Rokeby-Jones's daughter?"
Nell stared at her dully.
"The elder daughter," added Mary.
Nell was shaking her head again and reaching for the glass of water.
"Is it really something—awful?"
"Yes—awful," faltered Nell. "I—oh, please——"
"I won't say another word," declared Mary, hastily, but there was a note of disappointment in her voice. "If I should be asked again I'll give the same answer I did before."