Part 40 (1/2)

Hazel shook her head and smiled.

”No, mother dear; you are too partial. Engagements are not so plentiful as that. Think it over, and you will look at the matter differently.

We have not the means at our command to think of moving now.”

”But we must leave, Hazel, and at once,” cried Mrs Thorne excitedly.

”I cannot and I will not stay here.”

”But it would be unreasonable and foolish, dear, to think of doing so under our present circ.u.mstances. For the children's sake--for Percy's sake, pray be more considerate. We must not think of it at present.

After a time, perhaps, I may have the offer of a better post and the change may be such a one as you will like. Come, dear, try and be content a little longer, and all will be right in the end.”

”Hazel,” cried Mrs Thorne angrily, ”I insist upon your giving up this school at once!”

”My dear mother!”

”Now, no excuses, Hazel I say I insist upon your giving up this school at once, and I will be obeyed. Do you forget that I am your mother? Is my own child to rise up in rebellion against me? How dare you? How dare you, I say?”

”But my dear mother, if we decide to leave, where are we to go? Where is the money to pay for our removal? You know as well as I do that, in spite of my care, we are some pounds in the tradespeople's debt.”

”Now she throws that in my face, when I have worked so hard to make both ends meet, and cut and contrived over the housekeeping, thinking and striving and straining, and now this is my reward!”

”I do not blame you, dear,” said Hazel sadly; ”I only think it was a pity that you should have ordered goods for which we had not the money to pay.”

”And was I--a lady--to go on living in the mean, sordid, penurious way you proposed, Hazel? Shame upon you! Where is your respect for your wretched, unhappy parent?”

It was in Hazel's heart to say, half angrily, ”Oh, mother, dear mother, pray do not go on so!” but she simply replied, ”I know, dear, that it is very hard upon you, but we are obliged to live within our means.”

”Yes: thanks to you, Hazel,” retorted her mother. ”I might be living at ease, as a lady should, if my child were considerate, and had not given her heart to selfishness and a downright direct love of opposition to her parent's wishes.”

”Dear mother,” cried Hazel piteously, ”indeed I do try hard to study you in everything.”

”It ought to want no trying, Hazel. It ought to be the natural outcome of your heart if you were a good and affectionate child. Study me, indeed! See what you have brought me to! Did I ever expect to go about in these wretched, shabby, black things, do you suppose--I--I, who had as many as two dozen dresses upon the hooks in my wardrobe at one time?

Oh, Hazel, if you would conquer the stubbornness of that heart!”

”My dear mother, I must go and put away the dinner-things; but I do not like to leave you like this.”

”Oh, pray go, madam; and follow your own fancies to the top of your bent. I am only your poor, weak mother, and what I say or do matters very little. Never mind me, I shall soon be dead and cold in my grave.”

”Oh, my dear mother, pray, pray do not talk like this!”

”And all I ask is, that there may be a simple headstone placed there, with my name and age; and, if it could possibly be managed, and not too great an expense and waste of money for so unimportant a person, I should like the words to be cut deeply in the marble,--or, no, I suppose it would be only stone, common stone--just these simple words: 'She never forgot that she was a lady.'”

Here Mrs Thorne sighed deeply, and began to strive to extricate herself from her child's enlacing arms.

”No, no, no, Hazel; don't hold me--it is of no use. I can tell, even by the way you touch me, that you have no affection left for your poor suffering mother.”

”How can you say that dear?” said Hazel firmly.

”Nor yet in your words, even. Oh, Hazel, I never thought I should live to be spoken to like this by my own child!”