Part 46 (2/2)
”I don't care about doing what is right,” she said; ”I don't like it.”
Her uncle smiled.
”You are a strange girl; but I believe you have improved,” he said.
”You would be sorry if I did anything very, very naughty, Uncle Edward?”
”I certainly should.”
Evelyn lowered her eyes.
”He must not know. I must keep him from knowing somehow, but I wonder how I shall,” she thought.
”And perhaps you would be sorry,” she continued, ”if I were not here-if your naughty, naughty Eve was no longer in the house?”
”I should. I often think of you. I--”
”What, Uncle Edward?”
”Love you, little girl.”
”Love me! Do you?” she asked in a tone of affection. ”Do you really?
Please say that again.”
”I love you, Evelyn.”
”Uncle Edward, may I give you just the tiniest kiss?”
”Yes, dear.”
Evelyn raised her soft face and pressed a light kiss on her uncle's cheek. She was quite silent then for a minute; truth to tell, her heart was expanding and opening out and softening, and great thrills of pure love were filling it, so that soon, soon that heart might have melted utterly and been no longer a hard heart of stone. But, alas! as these good thoughts visited her, there came also the remembrance of the sin she had committed, and of the desperate measures she was about to take to save herself-for she had by no means come to the stage of confessing that sin, and by so doing getting rid of her naughtiness.
”Uncle Edward,” she said abruptly, ”I want you to give me a little money. I have come here to ask you. I want it all for my very own self.
I want some money which no one else need know anything about.”
”Of course, dear, you shall have money. How much do you want?”
”Well, a good bit. I want to give Jasper a present.”
”Your old nurse?”
”Yes. You know it was unkind of Aunt Frances to send her away; mothery wished her to stay with me.”
”I know that, Evelyn, and as far as I personally am concerned, I am sorry; but your aunt knows very much more about little girls than I do.”
”She does not know half so much about this girl.”
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