Part 29 (2/2)
”Did you ever hear the tale of the two sisters who lived in the old town?” she began. ”They quarreled when they were young and never spoke again. They lived for forty years in the same room up in one of those topply houses. A chalk line was drawn across the middle of the floor and there they slept and cooked and lived, each on her own side and never a word was spoken in all that time.”
”And didn't they ever make up?” demanded Nancy.
”No, they died unreconciled, the book said.”
”What a dreadful story,” exclaimed Elinor.
”The Scotch are very unforgiving people,” put in Miss Annie.
”I'm thinking their own sins are just as great as the unforgiven sins of others,” finished Miss Helen.
The two spinsters glared at each other. The four young girls were quite frightened. Nancy stifled a little tremulous giggle and Billie was about to cast herself into the breach by a perfectly irrelevant remark, when the Scotch woman servant appeared at the door and announced:
”Meester David Ramsay is in the drawing-room.”
Miss Helen Campbell dropped her hands at her sides helplessly.
”Annie,” she said, ”why didn't you tell me?”
”I wasn't sure you'd come if I had, Helen. But you will have forgiven him after all these years. He's an old man now,” she continued in a pleading tone.
”Has-has he ever married?” asked Miss Helen tremulously.
”No, no, that he hasn't,” answered the other spinster smiling.
A look of intense relief radiated Miss Helen's face.
”Cousin Annie,” she said, ”shall we rub out the chalk line and forget the past?”
”I'm muckle glad to do it, Cousin Helen,” said the other.
Whereupon the two ladies kissed and with arms interlocked marched into the drawing-room.
The four girls lingered behind in the dining-room. That there had been some romance in Miss Helen's past they all well knew, and now it did look as if they had stumbled against it.
They gathered in a whispering group near the window looking into a trim, pretty garden.
”Billie, do you know the story?” demanded Nancy with uncontrollable curiosity.
”No,” answered Billie, ”I wish I did. And the worst of it is, we can never, never ask, because she might not like it and I wouldn't want to take any risk. Even Papa doesn't know it. She has never mentioned it to a soul.”
”It must have been a love affair,” put in Mary.
”Of course,” added Elinor.
”Oh, Billie, couldn't you ask? I can't stand not knowing,” exclaimed Nancy.
The old serving woman who was pa.s.sing quietly through the room at this juncture came over to them.
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