"What was the idea in trying to make you my companion?" she asked. "Did Mrs. Russell imagine I shouldn’t know the difference? Or perhaps she thought any one was good enough for me!"
Angelica was a hardy young devil, but this was too much even for her.
"I’m not—just any one," she muttered, with a quivering lip. "I’m not—dirt. I’m——”
"My dear child!" cried Polly, in sudden compunction. "Of course not! I didn’t mean to offend you in any way. I’ve nothing against you personally; it’s simply that I don’t want a companion at all. I—I can’t endure the idea of a person who is paid to amuse me—a stranger, who doesn’t know anything about me or the child I lost!"
She waited a moment, then she went on.
"I’m very sorry. It’s an awkward situation for both of us. Mrs. Russell has done it before. You see, the doctor said I was not to be left alone—all nonsense, but Mr. Eddie took it very much to heart, and he wants Mrs. Russell to stay with me. Naturally she finds it irksome, shut up in the house. If I can’t have a familiar face, then I’d rather be alone. I’m sorry, but it’s no use your wasting your time, my dear. You might be looking for something else." She held out her hand with a kindly smile. "Good-by!" she said.
Angelica didn’t move.
"I saw that Mr. Eddie," she said; "and he said he was going to speak to you about me. He said he’d keep me if you would."
"But what has he got to do with it?" asked Polly, smiling.
"Well, at first he thought I wouldn’t do; and then, after he thought it over, he said: ‘Well, I’ll agree if she will.’"