“But you will not go, dear,” coaxingly.
“Miss Campion has friends in New York,” returned Crystal, evasively; “but she does not mean to stay there long. She wants to see Niagara and Colorado, and I forget the route she has planned; but a companion she must have, and she offers such handsome terms, and after all she will not, be away more than five or six months, and as she says the change will do me good; the only thing is she will start early next week and, as I tell her, I have nothing ready, but she only laughed and said we should have plenty of time to market in New York; and that she loved shopping.”
“Crystal, I do believe that you have made up your mind to leave us.”
Crystal hesitated a moment, and her dark eyes grew a little misty.
“And if it be my duty, Fern, will you say a word to keep me, my darling?” as Fern looked sorrowfully in her face. “I am not leaving you for good and all; I will never do that until—” but here she paused, and then hurried on. “The fact is, Fern, your mother can no longer protect me; your brother’s unmanly persecution is driving me away. No, I will say nothing bitter of him to-night; after all he is your brother; but it will be better for him if I leave here—a brief absence may help to cure him.”
“But his selfishness must not drive you away, my poor Crystal.”
“Dear, it will be far better for me to go,” returned Crystal with a sigh. “I am growing restless again, and, as Miss Campion says, the change will do me good; I came home to tell you this to-night I have told Miss Campion that I will go.”
“Next week!”
“Yes, probably next Wednesday or Thursday, about a week from to-day. I shall have to be very busy, you see. Don’t look so pale over it, Fern; six months will soon pass. Do you know,” rather sadly, “I have had such a curious feeling all day, as though something were going to happen, and that I wanted to get away first. Oh, I can’t explain it; I felt the same yesterday. Fern, did Mr. Huntingdon tell you anything more about those friends of his whom he met down at Sandycliffe?”
“No, dear,” with rather a wondering look, “he only just mentioned them, you know. What nice people they were, and so kind and friendly; he took rather a fancy to them.”