did not hear me, so I camein. You will be sick if you cry like this, Rose. Let me help you to goto bed."
"No, no; please don't touch me. I don't want you, of all people, to doanything for me."
"I wish you would let me undress you. I have often helped Aunt Raby togo to bed when she was very tired. Come, Rose, don't turn away from me.Why should you?"
"Priscilla, you are the last person in the world who ought to be kind tome just now; you don't know, you can never, never guess, what I did toyou."
"Yes, I can partly guess, but I don't want to think of it."
"Listen, Prissie: when I stole that money, I hoped people would accuseyou of the theft."
Prissie's eyes filled with tears. "It was a dreadful thing to do," shesaid, faintly.
"Oh, I knew you could never forgive me."
"I do forgive you."
"What! aren't you angry? Aren't you frantic with rage and passion?"
"I don't wish to think of myself at all: I want to think of you. Youare the one to be pitied."
"I? Who could pity me?"
"Well, Rosalind, I do," answered Priscilla in a slow voice; "you havesunk so low, you have done such a dreadful thing, the kind of thing thatthe angels in heaven would grieve over."
"Oh, please don't talk to me of them."
"And then, Rosalind," continued Prissie, "you look so unlike a girl whowould do this sort of thing. I have a little sister at home--a dear,little innocent sister, and her eyes are blue like yours, and she isfair, too, as you are fair. I love her, and I think all good things ofher. Rosalind, I fancy that your mother thinks good things of you. Iimagine that she is proud of you, and that she loves to look at yourpretty face."
"Oh, don't--don't?" sobbed Rosalind. "Oh, poor mother, poor mother!"she burst into softened and sorrowful weeping. The hardness of herheart had melted for the time under the influence of Priscilla's tenderwords.
"I wish I had known you sooner," whispered Rose when Prissie bent downand kissed her before leaving her for the night. "Perhaps I might havebeen a good girl if I had really known you sooner, Priscilla Peel."
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.
A MESSAGE.
Early the next morning Rosalind Merton left St Benet's College never tocome back. She took all her possessions with her, even the pink coral,which, to their credit be it spoken, not a girl in the college wouldhave accepted at her hands. Annie Day and Lucy Marsh were not the sortof people to keep their secret long, and before the day of her departurehad expired nearly everyone at Heath Hall knew of Rosalind's crime.Miss Heath was made acquainted with the whole story at an early hourthat morning.
"I may have done very wrong to let her go without obtaining yourpermission, Miss Heath," said Maggie, when the story was finished. "Ifso, please forgive me, and also allow me to say that, were the samething to occur again, I fear I should act in the same way. I think myprimary object in giving Rosalind money to go home this morning was tosave the college from any open slur being cast upon it."
Miss Heath's face had grown very pale while Maggie was speaking. Shewas quite silent for a moment or two after the story was finished; then,going up to Miss Oliphant, she took her hand and kissed her.
"On the whole, my dear," she said, "I am obliged to you. Had this storybeen told me while Miss Merton was in the house, I should have beenobliged to detain her until all the facts of this disgraceful case werelaid before the college authorities, and then, of course, there wouldhave been no course open but to publicly expel her. This, at least, youhave spared St Benet's, and I am relieved from the terribleresponsibility. I'll say nothing now about the rule you have broken,for, of course, you had no _right_ to assist Rosalind to go home withoutpermission. It lies within my discretion to forgive you, Maggie,however, so take my kiss, dear."
The Vice-Principal and Miss Oliphant talked for some little time longerover Rosalind's terrible fall, and, as Miss Heath felt confident thatthe story would get abroad in the college, she said she would be forcedto mention the circumstances to their Principal, Miss Vincent, and alsoto say something in public to the girls of Heath Hall on the subject.
"And now we will turn to something else," she said. "I am concerned atthose pale cheeks, Maggie. My dear," as the young girl colouredbrightly, "your low spirits weigh on my heart."
"Oh, don't mind me," said Maggie, hastily.
"It is scarcely kind to say this to one who loves you. I have been manyyears Vice-Principal of this Hall, and no girl, except Annabel Lee, hascome so close to my heart as you have, Maggie. Some girls come here,spend the required three years, and go away again without making muchimpression on anyone. In your case this will not be so. I have not theleast doubt that you will pass your tripos examination with credit inthe summer; you will then leave us, but not to be forgotten. I, forone, Maggie, can never forget you."
"How good you are!" said Maggie.
Tears trembled in the eyes, which were far too proud to weep except inprivate.
Miss Heath looked attentively at the young student, for whom she felt sostrong an interest. Priscilla's words had scarcely been absent from hernight or day since they were spoken.
"Maggie ought to marry Mr Hammond. Maggie loves him, and he loves her,but a bogie stands in the way." Night and day Miss Heath had ponderedthese words. Now, looking at the fair face, whose roundness of outlinewas slightly worn, at the eyes which had looked at her for a momentthrough a veil of sudden tears, she resolved to take the initiative in amatter which she considered quite outside her province.
"Sit down, Maggie," she said. "I think the time has come for me to tellyou something which has lain as a secret on my heart for over a year."
Maggie looked up in surprise, then dropped into a chair, and folded herhands in her lap. She was slightly surprised at Miss Heath's tone, butnot as yet intensely interested.
"You know, my dear," she said, "that I never interfere with the life astudent lives _outside_ this Hall. Provided she obeys the rules andmentions the names of the friends she visits, she is at liberty,practically, to do as she pleases in those hours which are not devotedto lectures. A girl at St Benet's may have a great, a very great,friend at Kingsdene or elsewhere, of whom the Principals of the collegeknow nothing. I think I may add with truth that were the girl toconfide in the Principal of her college in case of any friendshipdeveloping into--into love, she would receive the deepest sympathy andthe tenderest counsels that the case would admit of. The Principal whowas confided in would regard herself for the time being as the younggirl's mother."
Maggie's eyes were lowered now; her lips trembled; she played nervouslywith a flower which she held in her hand.
"I must apologise," continued Miss Heath, "for having alluded to asubject which may not in the least concern you, my dear. My excuse fordoing so is that what I have to tell you directly bears on the questionof marriage. I would have spoken to you long ago, but, until lately,until a few days ago, I had not the faintest idea that such a subjecthad even distantly visited your mind."
"Who told you that it had?" questioned Maggie; she spoke with anger."Who has dared to interfere--to spread rumours? I am not going tomarry. I shall never marry."
"It is not in my power at present to tell you how the rumour has reachedme," continued Miss Heath, "but, having reached me, I want to say a fewwords about--about Annabel Lee."
"Oh, don't!" said Maggie, rising to her feet, her face pale as death.She put her hand to her heart as she spoke; a pang, not so much mentalas bodily, had gone through it.
"My dear, I think you must listen to me while I give you a message fromone whom you dearly loved, whose death has changed you, Maggie, whosedeath we have all deeply mourned."
"A message?" said Maggie; "a message from Annabel! What message?"
"I regarded it as the effects of delirium at the time," continued MissHeath, "and, as you had fever immediately afterwards, dreaded referringto the subject. Now I blame myself for not having told you sooner, forI believe that Annabel w
as conscious, and that she had a distinctmeaning in her words."
"What did she say? Please don't keep me in suspense."
"It was shortly before she died," continued Miss Heath; "the fever hadrun very high, and she was weak, and I could scarcely catch her words.She looked at me. You know how Annabel could look, Maggie; you know howexpressive those eyes could be, how that voice could move one."
Maggie had sunk back again in her chair; her face was covered with hertrembling hands.
"Annabel said," continued Miss Heath, "`tell Maggie not