Angela thought a good deal of her friend, and wondered what she could do for her. But she scarcely approved of Marcia’s still firmly adhered-to resolution, that the young Aldworths were to resume the care of their mother.
“It will be so trying to you, and do you dare for a single moment to risk leaving her with them?”
“Yes; the doctor has great hopes of her. He says that the new treatment has produced an almost radical change in the condition of her heart, and that with care she will do well, and may even become fairly strong once more. But all this is a question of time, and the girls have been quite long enough away from home, and I am going to fetch them to-morrow.”
On a certain day, therefore, when Nurse Davenant had done everything to make the invalid thoroughly comfortable, Marcia put on her hat and walked along the shady road towards the St. Justs’ old house.
She had known it fairly well when she was quite a child, but had never cared to go there since the Carters had purchased it. The Carters were absolute strangers to Marcia. She had never once met them. She walked now under the avenue of splendid old beech trees, and thought of her past and future. Things were not going quite so well with herself as she could have hoped. Her life seemed to have narrowed itself into the care of one querulous invalid. It is true that the doctor had declared that but for Marcia Mrs Aldworth would not now be in the world; but there were Mrs Aldworth’s own daughters; Marcia’s own step-sisters. She must do something for them. What could she do?
She had just turned a certain bend in the avenue, when she heard a mocking voice say in laughing tones:
“I tell you what it is, I don’t ever want to go back to stupid old Marcia, nor—nor to the old house. I’m as happy here as the day is long, and now that Mothery is getting well, and you let me have as much of Flossie’s society as I want, I don’t ever want to go home.”
“Hush!” said another voice.
Nesta raised her head and saw Marcia.
“Oh, did you hear me?” she said. “I know I was saying something very naughty; but I almost forget what it was.”