‘Never me,’ said Molly, touched by the wailing tone of despair that Cynthia was falling into.

‘It is hard,’ said Mr. Preston.  ’You may believe all the bad things you like about me, Cynthia, but I don’t think you can doubt my real, passionate disinterested love for you.’

‘I do doubt it,’ said Cynthia, breaking out with fresh energy.  ’Ah! when I think of the self-denying affection I have seen—­I have known—­ affection that thought of others before itself—­’

Mr. Preston broke in at the pause she made.  She was afraid of revealing too much to him.

’You do not call it love which has been willing to wait for years—­to be silent while silence was desired—­to suffer jealousy and to bear neglect, relying on the solemn promise of a girl of sixteen—­for “solemn” say “flimsy,” when that girl grows older.  Cynthia, I have loved you, and I do love you, and I won’t give you up.  If you will but keep your word, and marry me, I’ll swear I’ll make you love me in return.’

’Oh, I wish—­I wish I’d never borrowed that unlucky money, it was the beginning of it all.  Oh, Molly, I have saved and scrimped to repay it, and he won’t take it now; I thought if I could but repay it, it would set me free.’

‘You seem to imply you sold yourself for twenty pounds,’ he said.  They were nearly on the common now, close to the protection of the cottages, in very hearing of their inmates; if neither of the other two thought of this Molly did, and resolved in her mind to call in at one of them, and ask for the labourer’s protection home; at any rate his presence must put a stop to this miserable altercation.

’I did not sell myself; I liked you then.  But oh, how I do hate you now!’ cried Cynthia, unable to contain her words.

He bowed and turned back, vanishing rapidly down the field staircase.’  At any rate that was a relief.  Yet the two girls hastened on, as if he was still pursuing them.  Once, when Molly said something to Cynthia, the latter replied,—­

’Molly, if you pity me—­if you love me—­don’t say anything more just now.  We shall have to look as if nothing had happened when we get home.  Come to my room when we go upstairs to bed, and I will tell you all.  I know you will blame me terribly, but I will tell you all.’

So Molly did not say another word till they reached home; and then, comparatively at ease, inasmuch as no one perceived how late was their return to the house, each of the girls went up into their separate rooms, to rest and calm themselves before dressing for the necessary family gathering at dinner.  Molly felt as if she were ’so miserably shaken that she could not have gone down at all, if her own interests only were at stake.  She sate by her dressing-table, holding her head in her hands, her candles unlighted, and the room in soft darkness, trying to still her beating heart, and to recall all she had heard, and what would be its bearing on the lives