“Who is that dear little mite?” he said. “What a sweet little face she has!”
“She is a little girl to whom Aunt Jessie is very kind,” replied Augusta.
“Any one would be kind to her; she looks such a sweet little thing!”
Augusta longed to give some of her true opinions of Nan, but she was far too astute for this.
“Of course, she is a very nice child,” she said; “and she is greatly to be pitied.”
“Poor little thing! What was she crying about? Her sobs were so bitter!”
“She is very sensitive; I was just trying to put a little common-sense into her.”
“She wants very special treatment,” said Captain Richmond. “I am glad I have come; I always like children of that sort. She is in deep black, too.”
“She is in mourning for her mother.”
“Oh! an orphan? Poor little one! Is her father alive?”