Agnes was in bed, raised high with pillows; for she could no longer lie down: There was a great change in her appearance. Her face was even paler than before, and her features were shrunken and sharpened as if with great pain; but the hard, mask-like look was gone; her eyes had lost their fixed, vacant expression; and she welcomed Letty with a sweet, natural smile.
"I am glad you have come again," said she, as Letty kissed her. "I wanted to see you once more; but I know you must be very busy."
"My business can wait," replied Letty. "I mean to stay with you as long as you want me."
"You are very good," said Agnes; and then, after a pause, "Have you seen the doctor?"
"Yes: he came to our house last night on his way home," said Letty, wishing to spare Agnes the repeating of his opinion. "He told me what he thought, and that he should send Mary."
"He was very gentle and kind," said Agnes. "It was a great relief to hear his opinion. I have so dreaded a long illness, such as I must have endured if my opinion had been correct! Now the way seems made so plain and easy before me! I feel so peaceful, so satisfied! I am sometimes afraid it must be wrong."
"I don't think it can be wrong," said Letty. "When God sends peace, no one can give trouble."
"Nothing disturbs or troubles me now but the harm I have done to others," continued Agnes, "I do hope—I cannot help hoping—that God has accepted me. But oh, Letty, when I think of my poor husband and the mischief I have done him, I think I can hardly be happy, even in heaven. He would never have been engaged in this vile business but for me. He was very much impressed by what John said to him about the matter, and came home almost persuaded to give up the whole affair and remain where he was. I believe a word from me would have turned the scale; and I did turn it,—the wrong way. My insane desire to be genteel—how I do hate the word!—pushed me on. I thought it would be so grand for Joe to be engaged in a wholesale business."
"That is something I never could understand," said Letty. "Why should it be more genteel to sell by the piece or bale than by the yard?"
"I am sure I do not know,—nor any one else, I suspect. But my head was full of such notions. Aunt Eunice might well call me silly. And, then, Celia Van Horn pushed me on. I do not want to speak unkindly of any one; but she is a wicked woman,—far worse than you know. She has drawn more than one poor, silly young man on to his destruction. It was a long time before I had my eyes fairly opened; but I did at last, and then we quarrelled. But I won't think about her now. Oh, if I could but live to undo some of the mischief I have done, I should be content!"