"You need not be, my dear," Mrs. Fowler replied, smiling as she came to the bedside and kissed her little daughter. "You had a disturbed night on my account. How foolish it was of me to be too nervous to sleep alone! I blame myself for spoiling your rest. But, see, I have brought your breakfast, so sit up and eat it at once; after you have had it, you can dress and come down on the beach with me."
Mrs. Fowler looked alert and well. She talked brightly whilst Margaret was taking her breakfast, and pulling a letter out of her pocket, which she had received from her husband by the morning's post, read it aloud. It merely told of his journey to town, and concluded with his love to the children, and a hope that Mrs. Fowler would take care of herself.
"I shall not tell him how silly I was last night," she said. "I suppose I cannot be quite so strong as I thought. My late illness played sad havoc with my nerves. It is such a glorious day, Margaret, that I am sure we ought to spend it out of doors."
Margaret assented willingly, and went to her own room to dress. By-and-by, she and her mother strolled down to the beach, and passed a pleasant morning in the welcome shade of a big rock. And in the afternoon, Mrs. Fowler declared her intention of again driving to N—.
"Won't you be very tired, mother?" Margaret asked dubiously. "You mustn't overdo it, you know."
"Oh, I will be careful, my dear!" Mrs. Fowler rejoined. "But I want to get some things I forgot yesterday. Meeting Mrs. Lute so unexpectedly put everything else quite out of my head. Miss Conway and Gerald can accompany us."
It was not such a pleasant drive as the one of the previous day, for Gerald was tiresome, and continually stood up in the carriage to look at different objects of interest which attracted his attention. Miss Conway begged him to sit still, but he would not obey her. And, at last, he was jolted into his mother's lap, much to her annoyance and to his amusement. She declared she wished she had left him at home, and that it would be a long time before she would take him for a drive again. Whereupon, he only laughed, for he did not believe she meant what she said.
"Are you going to see Mrs. Lute, mother?" Margaret inquired as they neared the town.
"No, not to-day. I will get out at the bottom of Fore Street, and you others shall drive on a little farther and return for me. No, I will not have you, Gerald! You are to stay with Miss Conway and your sister."
Mrs. Fowler spoke with decision in her tones; she was evidently determined to do her shopping alone.