Madame Coralie kept her at arm's length, and simply shook her hand. "You are Mrs. Shawe now," she said quietly, "and do not belong to me."
"I shall always look upon you as my aunt, and I shall never forget your kindness to me in my hour of need," said Audrey, hurt by this cold behaviour.
"You are a good child," said Madame Coralie, quietly, and in a steady voice, "but I have not done all that I wish to do. I intend to see your father and make him give you an allowance."
"Oh, papa will do that in any case, I think," said Mrs. Shawe, eagerly. "He is going down to-day to Weed-on-the-Sands to the Three Fishers Hotel, where Ralph and I are staying."
"Your father has gone down to see you, and you are not there?"
"We had to come up at the request of Miss Toat to see about this business, Aunt Flora," said Audrey, quickly; "but we shall return by the six or eight o'clock train to see papa and Miss Rosy Pearl."
Madame Coralie started. "What has Miss Pearl got to do with your father going down to see you?" she asked in an angry tone.
"Miss Pearl, so she says," remarked Ralph, "has persuaded Sir Joseph to forgive Audrey."
"Oh!" Madame Coralie shook from head to foot with silent rage, "how dare she! That woman--how dare she! To go down to Weed-on-the-Sands with your father and on such an errand!"
"She means well, aunt."