Lowndes, with a startled look at
the others.
"About — a ribbon?" said Ellen, struggling to get the words
out of white lips.
"My goodness!" said the other; — "did you ever hear anything
like that? — I didn't say nothing about a ribbon, dear."
"Do you suppose her aunt han't told her?" said Miss Mary in an
under tone.
"Told me what?" cried Ellen; — "Oh! what? — what?"
"I wish I was a thousand miles off!" said Mrs. Lowndes; — "I
don't know, dear — I don't know what it is — Miss Alice
knows."
"Yes, ask Miss Alice," said Mary Lawson; "she knows better
than we do."
Ellen looked doubtfully from one to the other; then, as "Go
ask Miss Alice," was repeated on all sides, she caught up her
bonnet, and flinging the bees'-wax from her hand, darted out
of the house. Those she had left, looked at each other a
minute in silence.
"Ain't that too bad now!" exclaimed Mrs. Lowndes, crossing the
room to shut the door. "But what could I say?"
"Which way did she go?"
"I don't know I am sure — I had no head to look, or anything
else. I wonder if I had ought to ha' told her. But I couldn't
ha' done it."
"Just look at her bees'-wax!" said Sarah Lowndes.
"She will kill herself if she runs up the mountain at that
rate," said Mary Lawson.
They all made a rush to the door to look after her.
"She ain't in sight," said Mrs. Lowndes; — "if she's gone the
way to the Nose, she's got as far as them big poplars already,
or she'd be somewhere this side of 'em, where we could see
her.
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