"He has heard it before, I expect," Mrs. Pring said sighing. Then her face brightened, and the glance she gave her husband was full of understanding and affection. He was more than ten years her senior, but they were a very united pair. "We are not to go to the Priory to-morrow," she proceeded after a brief pause, "for father does not wish us to make Felicia's acquaintance till he returns from Bristol. He evidently means the child to live with him; I do not know how that will answer, I am sure. As I said before, I hope she is a nice little girl; if so, you two will like her for a friend," and she regarded her daughters with a slightly wistful look.
"Oh, yes!" they both agreed, and Molly added: "We must be as kind to her as ever we can be, because she must be very sad and lonely now her mother is dead."
"That's right, Molly," her father said heartily; "and you must make allowances for her if her ways are not quite your ways. Remember her path in life has not been so smooth as yours. My little girls have been reared in the sunshine, and hitherto this little maiden has walked in the shade."
[CHAPTER VIII]
Uncle Guy
FELICIA never forgot the first night she spent at the Priory. After supper, which had been served to her in the housekeeper's room, Mrs. Price escorted her upstairs to a large bedroom, in the centre of which stood a big four-post bed with heavy hangings. To the little girl's excited imagination this bed looked like a hearse, and when she had undressed and climbed into it—it was very high—and Mrs. Price had taken her departure, she lay awake for hours, a prey to nervous terrors such as had never troubled her before, so that it was nearly daybreak and the birds were beginning to twitter before she, at last, fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. It was late in the morning when she awoke to find a bright-faced maid standing by her side, breakfast-tray in hand.
"Oh, have I overslept myself?" asked Felicia, springing up in bed and gazing round the big, strange room with a startled look.
"It's past eleven o'clock, miss, but Mrs. Price would not have you disturbed," responded the girl with a smile; "she said you were very tired last night, and a long sleep would do you a lot of good. See, here is your breakfast. Do you like coffee? Yes. That's right. And here's some delicious bacon, and buttered toast. Now, do try to eat all you can."
Felicia did try, and made an excellent breakfast, whilst the servant talked to her.
"I'm Ann White," the girl explained, "and I've been under housemaid at the Priory for more than a year. This is my first place, and I hope to remain here. Mrs. Price—she's the housekeeper, you know—is my aunt, and she's mistress here, now Mrs. Renford is gone. Why, she and her husband have served in the Renford family for more than forty years."