THE HONOR GIRL by Grace Livingston Hill

Author:Grace Livingston Hill [Hill, Grace Livingston]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781630581848
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2014-10-15T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Breakfast at Aunt Esther’s that Friday morning had been a very sad and dreadful affair. Aunt Esther’s eyes had that wan look, a bit red around the edges that said she had been crying half the night. It was not unbecoming for Aunt Esther to cry, but it was depressing. Elsie was made to feel that she was the cause of the deep grief. She felt almost desperate; yet, as the days of that last week had dragged themselves by, she had been more and more convinced that her duty lay at Morningside, and not in this home where everything was so perfect and lovely.

The two cousins were absorbed in their mail, which had lain by their plates as they entered. All the week they had treated Elsie with a gentle, condescending patience that one accords to very young naughty children who are not only giving us pain, but are hurting some one very dear to us. They were doing their best to show Elsie she was an ungrateful girl to reward their dear mother for all she had done for her, by running away.

Uncle James had exploded a bomb in the midst of this scene by suddenly laying down his paper and saying to his wife:

“My dear, if Elsie still thinks that her place is at Morning-side, and she is intending to go there tomorrow, I think we should see about sending her things out today for her. She will want her own furniture and everything that is in her bedroom, of course.”

There was dead silence, during which Elsie gasped and tried to get voice to answer; but she could only cast one grateful glance at her uncle and then struggle with the tears that threatened to get the better of her. Her two cousins looked up with a glance of disapproval that said as plainly as words could have done that their father was simply crazy to mention such an idea; and Aunt Esther put on a severe front, and finally spoke.

“No, James, I don’t intend to send Elsie’s things out to Morningside at present. It would be a useless expenditure of time and money. Elsie will soon discover that her wild, quick attempt is impossible; and then she will have to come back, and the things would have all the wear and tear of the moving. Let Elsie first put her fine theories to the test and see if she can endure Morningside before we attempt to sugar-coat Morningside for her further blinding. Elsie had better see her father’s home as it is—as it was when we took her from it—and then she will be able to judge which she prefers for her home.”

It was cruel speech, and stabbed Elsie to the quick. She cast one anguished glance at her aunt, and rose from her place at the table, looking toward her uncle.

“Uncle James,” she said, and her voice was trembling with sobs that she was holding back, “you are very kind; but Aunt Esther is right.

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