"The Major least of all," said Margot firmly. "She is not—"
"Not what?" demanded Felicia..
She was sitting on the edge of the bed now looking very little in the ancient dressing gown.
"She is not living any more," sighed Margot.
There was a long pause, a pause in which the drone of Piqueur's voice, still singing Maitre Guedron's old song, floated through the open casement.
"Not living?" questioned Felicia, her eyes widening with frightened— comprehension—"Oh! Oh!" her voice rose tempestuously, angrily, "You shall not say such dreadful things! They are not true! The Major said we should come to this house in the Woods, he said—" she paused, her mind groped back over the years.
The rising tide of her anger swept her fear that this strange woman was telling the truth farther and farther out of her thoughts. She rose, absurdly majestic as she steadied herself with one slender arm against the quaint carved post of the bed. She pointed toward the doorway.
"You'd better go away, Margot," she ordered clearly, "You can't stay here and talk so to me—" the childish simplicity of her phrases was absurdly inadequate to express her scorn, "You do not know that I have a vairee bad temper—I make myself proud, proud, proud when I lose it —but it will make you vairee unhappy if I do—I say and I do most dreadful things when I'm angry—If I call for the Major he will come and send you away—for always and forevaire—as he did Mademoiselle D'Ormy—and no matter how sorry I am afterward he will not let you stay—"
Indeed, this idea of appealing to her grandfather had come the instant before when she heard his voice outside interrupting Piqueur's song. She limped swiftly across the space toward the window, she leaned far out and called to her grandfather, who stood in the courtyard below, gravely inspecting the lame mare that the boy had brought from the stable. So intent was Felicia with her question that she forgot her recent fear of the Major.
"Grandy!" she called, her clear tones ringing down to him, "Grandy, you will have to come and send this Margot away—you will—"