But Patty and Lydia, who had stopped their lamentations to listen, joined in with Miss Tabitha in derisive sneers:
“A likely story, indeed! Never spoke to him until to-night!”
“Of course it was he that was bringing you the flowers, and poetry, and candy every night and being entertained in your room, you shameless thing, trying to pretend you had an unknown, honorable lover!”
“Didn’t all of us see you down on your knees, kissing him and telling him you loved him, before he died—that bad man, the son of gran’ther’s enemy?”
So they overwhelmed her with reproaches, stifling the voice of mercy in gran’ther’s breast by their plausible accusations, to which she only answered sadly:
“I pitied him because he suffered for my sake! But, gran’ther, I swear to you I am innocent. Do not let my cruel enemies turn your heart against me!”
No one saw the twin sisters whisper dismayedly to each other:
“How did Dan come to make such a terrible mistake?”
“God only knows!”
“We must never let him confess the truth.”