She was not in a hurry to go home when tea was over, and she left herself so little time to see her mother that she could hardly wait while Selina fetched her from Jessie's; for it was there she had gone to tea; to show her how to manage some alterations that were necessary in the black dress Miss Martin had given her for Jessie, and which there had been no time to do before.
Fanny chose to be aggrieved that her mother should devote so much of her time to Jessie Collins.
"I never heard of such a thing in my life," she grumbled to Minnie, while Selina ran to tell her mother she was waiting. "When I was at home I was not to talk or play with Jessie, and now mother makes more fuss of her than she does of her own children. I don't think it's fair to keep me waiting here when I have so little time because she is with her favourite."
"Fanny, how can you talk like that?" protested Minnie. "Mother did not go to help with the frock until long after the time for you to come home. She got a hot dinner for you, and a cake for tea, and now you come when it is time to start to go back again. I call it shameful; as bad as serving father as you did. It seems as though you were tired of us all now you have got a nice, comfortable place," added Minnie.
"Well, perhaps I am going to leave that nice, comfortable place," said Fanny, with something like a sneering laugh.
"It would serve you right if you did," said Minnie, in an angry tone; and in the midst of these angry words Mrs. Brown hurried in.
"My dear Fanny, where have you been that you did not get home to dinner as usual?" said Mrs. Brown, kissing Fanny and taking no notice of Minnie's wrathful face.
"We are busy, and I could not get away until after dinner," answered Fanny, "and I must get in early, or Mrs. Lloyd will be cross," she added.
"But surely you can stay with us for an hour now you have come!" exclaimed Mrs. Brown, quickly.
"No, I must not stop a minute. I forgot I promised to go to tea with Mary Taylor the last time I was at home," said Fanny, "and she made me go with her when I went to meet the children coming out of school."