"That is true," said Emily, catching eagerly at the first part of the reply, and hardly heeding the concluding sentence. "It is only keeping silence, after all, and Mrs. Pomeroy herself says, she never wants us to tell of each other. I promise you, Delia."
"That is acting like my own sensible Emily," said Delia, kissing her. "I was sure you would come to the right view of the case at last, and I promise you in return, that I will never betray your secret so long as you are faithful to me. Not only that, but I will take care that other people do not suspect you. You must be aware that there are many prying eyes about this house, besides Mrs. Pomeroy's. Almira Crosby and her set would be perfectly delighted to find out one of the 'pious girls,' as they call them, in such a scrape."
"I thought of that," said Emily, in a low tone.
"I don't pretend to be influenced by such considerations, myself," continued Delia, "though I think it very bad taste to talk upon those subjects as Almira does—but if I were—however, that is not what I was going to say. You know how prying Almira is. She was never quite satisfied about that money, and she is always hinting that she will find out about it some day. But I know how to manage her ladyship, and I think I can insure you from any mischief from that quarter. I know too many of her secrets for her to be very willing to offend me."
"How much better off people are, who have no secrets at all," sighed Emily. "I don't suppose either Lucy or Belle ever had a concealment in their lives—"
"There are about half a dozen girls in this school whom we can thoroughly respect!" said Delia, with considerable feeling. "There is Lucy to begin with, and there is Janet Graves, though the girls do call her the Queen of Sheba, and Belle, though she is not always careful enough of what she says, and poor dear Annette, and three or four others, who have a right to call themselves Christians. I should not mind exchanging places with any of them. As for the rest—I did not mean to hurt your feelings," she added, seeing the tears in Emily's eyes, "but you must be aware that it is not possible for me to consider you very consistent."
Emily sighed. "I cannot blame you, Delia. I don't think I shall ever make any more pretensions in that way. Oh, how I wish I had never come to school."
"It seems to me that your religious principles could not be worth much, if they only kept you out of trouble just so long as you could not get into it," replied Delia. "But never mind that now. The dinner bell will ring in a few minutes, and you will not have more than time to get ready. Try to sit up, and I will brush your hair for you."
"I don't believe I can possibly go down to dinner," said Emily. "Every thing turns dark to me the moment I rise up. I shall faint at table, if I try."
"I don't believe you can, indeed," said Delia, watching her friend's changing color. "Lie down again, and I will make your excuses, and get Mrs. Pomeroy to send you something. You had better lie still till tea-time, and if Mrs. Pomeroy comes to see you, take care you don't betray yourself. I shall tell her that you stood too long at the blackboard, and fainted away in consequence. Mr. Hugo does keep the girls up there an unconscionable time. I shall speak to him about it."