"
"Yes — that was another time. I wish you'd seen her!"
"I believe she saw and felt her fault in that case. Didn't she
ask your pardon? — she said she would."
"Yes," said Miss Fortune, drily — "after a fashion."
"Has she had her letter yet?"
"No."
"How is she to-day?"
"Oh, she's well enough — she's sitting up. You can go up and
see her."
"I will, directly," said Alice. "But now, Miss Fortune, I am
going to ask a favour of you — will you do me a great
pleasure?"
"Certainly, Miss Alice — if I can."
"If you think Ellen has been sufficiently punished for her
ill-behaviour — if you do not think it right to withhold her
letter still — will you let me have the pleasure of giving it
to her? I should take it as a great favour to myself."
Miss Fortune made no kind of reply to this, but stalked out of
the room, and in a few minutes stalked in again with the
letter, which she gave to Alice, only saying shortly —
"It came to me in a letter from her father."
"You are willing she should have it?" said Alice.
"Oh, yes! — do what you like with it."
Alice now went softly up stairs. She found Ellen's door a
little ajar, and looking in, could see Ellen seated in a
rocking-chair between the door and the fire, in her double
gown, and with her hymn-book in her hand. It happened that
Ellen had spent a good part of that afternoon in crying for
her lost letter; and the face that she turned to the door, on
hearing some slight noise outside, was very white and thin
indeed.
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