"I will forget nothing," Hester said.
Catherine smiled faintly, with her eyes closed.
"I had thought of making you bring me some wine. There is some Tokay in the cellar; but one always pays for a strong stimulant, and this is the better way. You are young, and you are a Vernon too. Bend your mind to it. Think of nothing but the business in hand."
"I will," said Hester, with solemnity, as if she were pronouncing the words before a judge.
Catherine took hold of her dress when she was going away.
"One thing," she said. "I think you and I have hated each other because we were meant to love each other, child."
"I think I have always done both," said Hester.
The faint sound that broke through the stillness was not like Catherine's laugh. She patted the girl's arm softly with her hand. Their amity was too new to bear caresses.
"Now go and do your work, for your honour and mine," she said.