“Hush, she is very good to me; you must not offend her, because she only does her duty.”
“Please, miss, I am not offended; I would take a’most anything from any friend of yours; it’s quite nat’ral as they should hate and despise me for sitting here a-keeping guard over an innocent creetur like you; sure I often hates and despises myself, and I wonder you don’t too,” said Mrs. Barton, putting her apron to her eyes and beginning to cry.
Annella wheeled around and took a good look at the woman; then suddenly putting out her hand, she said:
“I beg your pardon—I do indeed, sincerely. I ought not to have spoken as I did; but you see I am not good, and never was, nor shall be; and when my heart bleeds, my temper burns and my tongue raves.”
“No offence, Miss, as I said afore; I only wonders as she don’t mortally hate and despise me,” said Mrs. Barton, wiping her eyes and sighing.
Annella, who had been gazing at Mrs. Barton with intense interest, arose with a pale face, trembling limbs, and quick and gasping breath, and approaching her, whispered:
“You called Miss Leaton innocent. You believe her to be so?”
“Yes, I do; and I would not believe otherwise if all the archbishops and all the bishops, priests, and deacons in the kingdom was to swear she is guilty, and take the sacrament on it,” said the woman, earnestly.
“And therefore you must see that it is very cruel she should be doomed to suffer,” said Annella, eagerly.
“It’s martyr’om; that’s what it is.”