"But for my sake you will do your utmost to try to be good while I am away, won't you, Irene? I shall probably only be in London one night, or two at the very most; and Frosty is coming too. You won't mind that? Miss Frost is coming back at once; she will return in time for to-morrow evening."
"Oh! I suppose it will be all right," said Irene restlessly.
Rosamund went on putting a few things into her little trunk. Then she went up to Irene, put her arm round her waist, and kissed her.
"I am proud of you, Irene," she said. "I shall always feel that I have not lived in vain when I think how different you are from the child I first saw only a few months ago."
"I feel different," said Irene. "I begin to have a sort of pleasure in being—I mean in trying to be—good. It is you, of course—you and dear little Agnes."
"Well, Agnes will be more than ever in your care now."
"Oh! I shall look after her, there's no fear of that. I shall be terribly lonely without you, darling; but she and I will be all in all to each other while you are away. If it wasn't for—for Lucy Merriman I should be quite happy, for I think the other girls are inclined to be nice; but I hate Lucy."
"Well, I must say, Irene, speaking honestly, I hate her too. But we must both make up our minds not to mind her. She cannot really hurt us."
"Hurt us?" said Irene. "I'm sure I'm not afraid of her, if that is what you mean."
"Well, that's all right. Now, let us go to bed."