Fanny arose to do her mother's bidding, but Julia stopped her by saying, "You needn't trouble yourself to call him, Fanny."
"Why not?" said Fanny, looking wonderingly in Julia's face.
"Because I am not going," said Julia coolly.
"Not going!" exclaimed Fanny.
[pg 050]"Not going!" echoed Mrs. Middleton. "Why do you say so? You are going, you must go!"
"There is no must about it," answered Julia; "I do not choose to go, and I shall not go!"
"Are you in earnest, Julia?" asked Mrs. Middleton.
"As much in earnest as I ever was in my life," replied Julia.
"Well, then," returned the mother in a decided tone, "you shall go; I command you to go, and I must be obeyed!"
"I'd like to see your commands enforced, Madam," said Julia, her beautiful face dark with rage. "Yes, I'd like to see anybody make me go if I did not wish to. Mr. Wilmot is nothing to me, and I would hardly go to save his life."