“At first I thought I’d rather have my sight—but only for a moment—and then I wished, if Marian were not dead, she would come back to us, for I’m afraid Frederic is getting bad again, though he cannot help it, I’m sure.”
“What do you mean?” Marian asked, and Alice replied:
“Don’t you know? Can’t you guess? Don’t you hear it in his voice when he speaks to you?”
Marian made no response, and Alice continued:
“Frederic seems determined to love everybody better than Marian, and though I love you more than I can tell, I want her to come back so much.”
“And if you knew she were coming, when would you rather it should be?” asked Marian, and Alice replied:
“Now—to-night; but as that is impossible, I’d be satisfied with Christmas. Yes, on the whole, I’d rather it would be then; I should call her our Christmas Gift, and it would be the dearest, sweetest one that I could have.”
“Darling Alice,” thought Marian, “your wish shall be gratified.”
And, kissing the blind girl affectionately, she resolved that on the coming Christmas, one at least of the inmates of Redstone Hall should know that Marian Grey was only another name for the runaway Marian Lindsey.