If I praise
Primrose Mainwaring, and a good girl she was when she was with
me--yes, a good, painstaking girl, thankful for her mercies--it's no
disparagement to you, Miss Slowcum. You're mellow, my dear, and you
can't help being mellow, and Primrose Mainwaring is crisp, and she
can't help being crisp. Oh, goodness gracious me! what sound is that
falls on my ear?"
"An old friend's voice, I hope, Mrs. Mortlock," said a pleasant
girlish tone, and Primrose Mainwaring herself bent down over the old
lady and kissed her.
Notwithstanding all her grumbling Mrs. Mortlock had taken an immense
fancy to Primrose. She returned her embrace warmly, and even took her
hand and squeezed it.
"I'd like to see you, dear," she said, "but I'm getting blinder and
blinder. Have you come back to your continual reading, dear? I hope
so, for you do the gossip in a very chirruping style."
While Mrs. Mortlock was speaking to Primrose Miss Slowcum had taken
Daisy in her arms, and covered her sweet little face with kisses, for
Miss Slowcum was not all sour and affected, and she had shed some
bitter tears in secret over the child's unaccountable disappearance.
Mrs. Dredge and Mrs.
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