“It is true! You heard me say that I was afraid of my rheumatism, and tried to persuade me that it was raining so that I might stay at home. You knew I was anxious to go, and you deliberately set to work to prevent me. Nice behaviour, indeed! I wonder you have the audacity to look in my face and acknowledge it!”
“I never tell lies,” said the girl proudly, and Lady Sarah interrupted with a harsh laugh.
“No; you only act them, I suppose. It never struck you that it was acting a lie to go out of your way to deceive an old woman and make her stay at home on false pretences, did it?”
Mildred started.
“No, it never did. I did not think of that. If I had, I would not have done it.”
“And why did you do it? To prevent my going to the picnic, of course; but why were you so anxious about that? What harm would it have done if I had been there?”
There was an unwonted strain of anxiety in the sharp voice, and the answer came but slowly.
“Oh, I don’t know! We had been looking forward to the picnic for the last week. We had done nothing but talk about it. Of course we didn’t want to have it all spoiled.”
“As it would have been by my presence?”
“Y-es.”