Part 3 (2/2)
”Not to-night. What about my question?”
”Mr. Richmond,” said the child, slowly,--”I do not always do the things I ought to do.”
”No; I know you do not. But will you do _that_ thing, which you will think you ought to do, when you have heard me, and understood what I say, the next time the Band has a meeting?”
Matilda stood silent, her hand still in Mr. Richmond's.
”What's the matter?”
”Perhaps I shall not want to do it,” she said, looking up frankly.
”I ask you to do it all the same.”
Matilda did not move, and now her face showed great perplexity.
”Well?” said Mr. Richmond, smiling at last.
”Perhaps I _cannot_ do it, Mr. Richmond?”
”Then, if you think you cannot do it, will you come and tell me?”
Matilda hesitated and pondered and hesitated.
”Do you wish it very much, Mr. Richmond?” she said, looking up appealingly into his face.
”I do wish it very much.”
”Then I will!” said Matilda, with a sigh.
He nodded, shook her hand, and turned away with quick steps. Matilda went in and climbed the stairs to the room she and Maria shared together.
”What were you talking to Mr. Richmond so long about?” said Maria.
”I wasn't talking to Mr. Richmond. He was talking to me.”
”What's the difference? But I wish he would talk to Ailie Swan; she wants it, I know. That girl is too much!”
”What has she done?”
”Oh, _you_ don't know; she isn't in your set. _I_ know. She's just disagreeable. I think people ought to be civil, if they are ever so good.”
”I thought good people were civil always.”
”Shows you don't know much.”
”Isn't Ailie Swan civil?”
”I do not call it civility. What do you think, Tilly? I asked her if my South America wasn't good? and she said she thought it was not. Isn't that civility?”
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