"Oh yes. She is nothing to the rest of you. I do not wish her to be. She is all—all mine; and if anything happened to her, if she were taken from me, if I had to do without her, I should become worse than ever."
"But what do you mean?" said Miss Carter. "Why should little Agnes be taken from you?"
"I don't suppose anybody would dare to take her from me. Frosty wouldn't, and mother wouldn't; the school wouldn't; but there is a wicked girl who tried her very best to frighten little Agnes, only Rosamund brought her back to her senses. The darling knows that whoever else I might hurt at one time, I never could and never would hurt one hair of her head. And she loves me in return."
"Then that's all right," said Miss Carter.
Just at that moment a slight rustling was heard at the back of the little bower. Irene did not notice it, but Miss Carter did.
"I wonder if anybody is listening?" she said.
"Who cares? I don't mind if the whole world hears. There's that spy, Lucy Merriman; she is as likely as not to do mean things. But I don't mind even her."
"Oh, don't you?" thought Lucy, who had that moment come a little nearer the back of the bower.
"No, I don't mind even her," repeated Irene. "I only say that as long as Rosamund is with me I shall be a good girl, just because I can't help myself; and if any one were to take my Rosamund from me I should be worse than ever."
"You were pretty bad. I don't know how you could be worse than you used to be."