‘I hope you will excuse my troubling you, Mrs. Fairchild,’ said the rector’s wife, ’but Mr. Redding, whom I saw this morning, thought you would be the best person to apply to about a little difficulty I am in.’

She half glanced round as if to see that no one was in the way, and with quick understanding Celestina’s mother turned towards the inner door.

‘Will you please step into the parlour a moment?’ she said.  ’We should be less interrupted.’

Bridget, standing by the half-open shop door, heard the words.  She felt almost inclined to run forward and beg leave to go in too.  But she knew she must first ask pardon of her mother for her naughtiness, and the idea of doing so before Mrs. Fairchild was not pleasant.

’If Celestina would come out herself I could ask her to ask mamma to speak to me,’ thought Bridget.  But no Celestina appeared.

‘They will be so comfortable in that nice warm parlour,’ thought Biddy; ‘and I daresay Celestina will be showing Alie all her dolls and things,’ for she had not noticed that just as Mrs. Vane went into the parlour she had said a word to Rosalys, who had stayed behind.

So Biddy stood outside, very much put out indeed.  The ten minutes during which she had to wait seemed to her like an hour; and when Celestina’s mother came to the door to show her visitors out, it was not difficult for her to see that the little girl was not in at all a happy frame of mind.

‘Good-morning, Miss Bridget,’ said Mrs. Fairchild.

‘Good-morning,’ Biddy could not but reply.

She did not even wonder how Mrs. Fairchild knew her name; she was so taken up with her own thoughts.  She would have been rather surprised had she known that it was about her, poor little neglected, uncared for girl as she chose to fancy herself, that the two mothers had been speaking those long ten minutes in the parlour—­’Mayn’t I see Celestina at all?’ Biddy went on.  ‘I think Alie’s very——­’

‘Very what?’ said her mother.  ’Alie has been quietly waiting in the shop for me as I told her.’

Alie came forward as she spoke.

‘And Celestina is not in this morning,’ said Mrs. Fairchild.  ’She had a headache, so I have sent her out a walk.’

Thus all Biddy’s temper and jealousy had been thrown away.  She felt rather foolish as she followed her mother and Rosalys down the street.

After stopping for a moment at the grocer’s, Mrs. Vane turned to go home by the Parade, the same way by which the children had come to Seacove that Saturday.  It was a fine bright afternoon, still early—­a little breeze blew in from the sea—­the tide was far out.

‘Mayn’t we go home by the shore, mamma?’ Alie asked.  ’It is nice firm walking nearly all the way.’

Mrs. Vane consented:  they all turned down a sort of short cart-track, leading through the stony shingle to the smooth sands beyond.  The sun was still some height above the horizon, but the cold frosty air gave it already the red evening look.  Glancing upwards at it Biddy remembered the day she had watched it setting and the good resolutions she had then made.  She almost felt as if the sun was looking at her and reminding her of them, and a feeling of shame, not proud but humble, crept over her.  She went close up to her mother and slipped her hand through her arm.