Snipe, who was
very attentive to me,--and talked to me about it in a way I didn't
like. That made me worse. I don't know what possessed me; but after that
I went out with Mr. Snipe a great deal more, to the theatre and the
like, and let him spend his money on me, and get things for me, as
freely as he chose. I didn't mean any harm, indeed I didn't,--but I
liked to go about and have a good time; and then it made Jim show how
much he cared for me, which, you see, was a great thing to me; and so
this went on for a while, till Jim gave me a real lecture, and I got
angry and wouldn't listen to anything he had to say, and sent him away
in a huff"--here she choked--"to fight; to the war; and O dear! O dear!"
breaking down utterly, and hiding her face in her shawl, "he'll be
killed,--I know he will; and oh! what shall I do? My heart will break, I
am sure."
Francesca came and stood by her side, put her hand gently on her
shoulder, and stroked her beautiful hair. "Poor girl!" she said, softly,
"poor girl!" and then, so low that even Sallie could not hear, "You
suffer, too: do we all suffer, then?"
Presently Sallie looked up, and continued: "Up to that time, Mr. Snipe
hadn't said anything to me, except that he admired me very much, and
that I was pretty, too pretty to work so hard, and that I ought to live
like a lady, and a good deal more of that kind of talk that I was silly
enough to listen to; but when he found Jim was gone, first, he made fun
of him for 'being such a great fool as to go and be shot at for
nothing,' and then he--O Miss Ercildoune, I can't tell you what he
said; it makes me choke just to think of it.
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