'I shall not stand on warning you, Molly.I shall forbid the banns in church, if need be,' said Miss Browning, half convinced of the clear transparent truth of what Molly had said; blushing all over, it is true, but with her steady eyes fixed on Miss Browning's face while she spoke.
'Do!' said Molly.
'Well, well, I won't say any more.Perhaps I was mistaken, We won't say any more about it.But remember what I have said, Molly, there's no harm in that, at any rate.I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, Mrs Gibson.
As stepmothers go, I think you try and do your duty.Good morning.Good-by to you both, and God bless you.'
If Miss Browning thought that her final blessing would secure peace in the room she was leaving, she was very much mistaken; Mrs Gibson burst out with, -'Try and do my duty, indeed! I should be much obliged to you, Molly, if you would take care not to behave in such a manner as to bring down upon me such impertinence as I have just been receiving from Miss Browning.'
'But I don't know what made her talk as she did, mamma,' said Molly.
'I'm sure I don't know, and I don't care either.But I know that I never was spoken to as if I was trying to do my duty before, - "trying" indeed!
everybody always knew that I did it, without talking about it before my face in that rude manner.I've that deep feeling about duty that I think it ought only to be talked about in church, and in such sacred places as that; not to have a common caller startling one with it, even though she was an early friend of your mother's.And as if I did not look after you quite as much as I look after Cynthia! Why, it was only yesterday I went up into Cynthia's room and found her reading a letter that she put away in a hurry as soon as I came in, and I did not even ask her who it was from, and I am sure I should have made you tell me.'
Very likely.Mrs Gibson shrank from any conflicts with Cynthia, pretty sure that she would be worsted in the end; while Molly generally submitted, sooner than have any struggle for her own will.
Just then Cynthia came in.
'What's the matter?' said she quickly, seeing that something was wrong.
'Why, Molly has been doing something which has set that impertinent Miss Browning off into lecturing me on trying to do my duty! If your poor father had but lived, Cynthia, I should never have been spoken to as Ihave been."A stepmother trying to do her duty", indeed.That was Miss Browning's expression.'
Any allusion to her father took from Cynthia all desire of irony.She came forwards, and again asked Molly what was the matter.
Molly, herself ruffled, made answer, -
'Miss Browning seemed to think I was likely to marry some one whose character was objectionable -- '
'You, Molly?' said Cynthia.
'Yes - she once before spoke to me, - I suspect she has got some notion about Mr Preston in her head -- '
Cynthia sate down quite suddenly.Molly went on, - 'and she spoke as if mamma did not look enough after me, - I think she was rather provoking -- '
'Not rather, but very - very impertinent,' said Mrs Gibson, a little soothed by Molly's recognition of her grievance.
'What could have put it into her head?' said Cynthia, very quietly, taking up her sewing as she spoke.
'I don't know,' said her mother, replying to the question after her own fashion.'I'm sure I don't always approve of Mr Preston; but even if it was him she was thinking about, he's far more agreeable than she is;and I had much rather have him coming to call than an old maid like her any day.'
'I don't know that it was Mr Preston she was thinking about,' said Molly.
'It was only a guess.When you were both in London she spoke about him, - I thought she had heard something about you and him, Cynthia.' Unseen by her mother Cynthia looked up at Molly, her eyes full of prohibition, her cheeks full of angry colour.Molly stopped short suddenly.After that look she was surprised at the quietness with which Cynthia said, almost immediately, -'Well, after all it is only your fancy that she was alluding to Mr Preston, so perhaps we had better not say any more about him; and as for her advice to mamma to look after you better, Miss Molly, I'll stand bail for your good behaviour; for both mamma and I know you're the last person to do any foolish things in that way.And now don't let us talk any more about it.I was coming to tell you that Hannah Brand's little boy has been badly burnt, and his sister is downstairs asking for old linen.'
Mrs Gibson was always kind to poor people, and she immediately got up and went to her stores to search for the article wanted.
Cynthia turned quietly round to Molly.
'Molly, pray don't ever allude to anything between me and Mr Preston, - not to mamma, nor to any one.Never do! I've a reason for it, - don't say anything more about it, ever.'
Mrs Gibson came back at this moment, and Molly had to stop short again on the brink of Cynthia's confidence; uncertain indeed this time, if she would have been told anything more, and only sure that she had annoyed Cynthia a good deal.
But the time was approaching when she would know all