Letty burst into tears, and sat sobbing.
"Come, dear, tell me all about it," insisted Mary. "If you don't
make haste, they will be calling me."
Letty could not speak.
"Then I'll tell you what," said Mary; "you must stop with me to-
night, that we may have time to talk it over. You sit here and
amuse yourself as well as you can till the shop is shut, and then
we shall have such a talk! I will send your tea up here. Beenie
will be good to you."
"Oh, but, indeed, I can't!" sobbed Letty; "my aunt would never
forgive me."
"You silly child! I never meant to keep you without sending to
your aunt to let her know."
"She won't let me stop," persisted Letty.
"We will try her," said Mary, confidently; and, without more ado,
left Letty, and, going to her desk in the shop, wrote a note to
Mrs. Wardour. This she gave to Beenie to send by special
messenger to Thornwick; after which, she told her, she must take
up a nice tea to Miss Lovel in her bedroom. Mary then resumed her
place in the shop, under the frowns and side-glances of Turnbull,
and the smile of her father, pleased at her reappearance from
even such a short absence.
But the return, in an hour or so, of the boy-messenger, whom
Beenie had taken care not to pay beforehand, destroyed the hope
of a pleasant evening; for he brought a note from Mrs. Wardour,
absolutely refusing to allow Letty to spend the night from home:
she must return immediately, so as to get in before dark.
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