“It’s very hard on mums, I must say,” exclaimed Jessie.
“Yes, of course,” answered Molly; “but still it’s right. Right things are often hard,” she added.—“And, mother, we’ll look after her; you mustn’t be worried,” continued the girl.
“But it is on account of you both that I am so unhappy. Oh,” continued the good lady, “you have never seen an Irish peasant! She is a most disgraceful creature!”
“Oh mother, but this girl is a lady by birth!”
“On her father’s side,” said Mrs. Wyndham; “but what about her mother? Her father, as well as I can tell, has never troubled himself even to see her, and now he hands her over to us. I do call it terrible!”
As Mrs. Wyndham spoke she rose from her chair and stood for a few minutes looking out of the window at the peaceful landscape.
“Mother,” said Jessie suddenly, “couldn’t she go to school for a bit—until she’s polished up a little, I mean? Oh, I don’t mean to our school, of course, but to some other school.”
“I thought of that, my dears; but your father won’t have it. He says that if the child comes here she is to be treated from the first as a lady, as a daughter of the house; and if possible, and we can get Mrs. Fleming to take her, she is to go to your school at The Red Gables.”
“Oh mother!”
Both girls looked rather dismayed at this prospect. Mrs. Wyndham soon afterwards left them. She had to attend to her husband, who was making preparations for his journey.