‘Yes,’ said Biddy again.

‘Then why don’t you like her?  Why are you so cross?’ asked her brother.

‘I’m not cross, and I never said I didn’t like her,’ replied Bridget impatiently.

Rough began to whistle.

‘I can’t say I agree with you,’ he said.  ’Well, I’ll run on and tell mamma you’re all right;’ and off he set.

Biddy followed him slowly, feeling rather depressed.

‘I didn’t mean to be cross,’ she said to herself in her usual way, though she really did feel what she said this time.  ’It was kind of Roughie to come to meet me.  They’re all good ’acept me.  Celestina’s good too.  I’m made all the wrong way,’ and she sighed deeply.

She brightened up again, however, when she met her mother at the door.

‘That’s right, Biddy dear,’ said Mrs. Vane.  ’You’ve not stayed too late.’

Rough was there too; he had not told about her being cross evidently, and Biddy felt grateful to him.  It was very nice when mamma spoke like that; it reminded her of the way her hand had been pressed that afternoon.  But a sudden thought rather chilled her satisfaction.  Biddy was beginning to be troubled with thoughts, and thoughts too that would not be driven away and forgotten, as she had been accustomed to drive away and forget anything that made her feel at all uncomfortable.  This thought teased and pricked her for a few seconds, and though she wriggled herself about and stamped her feet down with hard thumps on the gravel, it would not go.

‘Biddy,’ it said, ‘Biddy, you know what you should do.’

So that at last, in sheer impatience of its teasing, she gave her mother’s sleeve a little tug.

‘Mamma,’ she said, ’it was her that made me not stay longer than you’d said.  I wanted to.  I wasn’t very good, but she’s good.’

Mrs. Vane turned with real pleasure in her face.

‘I’m very glad you’ve told me, Biddy,’ she said.  ’Yes, it was nice and good of Celestina to remind you.  I think she must really be a very conscientious child.’

‘I don’t know what that is,’ said Bridget.  ’At least, p’raps I do know, but it’s such a trouble to think.  But Celestina is good.  I almost think she’s a little too good.’

Her tone was very melancholy.  Rough burst out laughing, but Mrs. Vane looked rather disappointed.

’It will be so vexing if Biddy takes a dislike to her just when I was hoping it would be a good thing,’ she thought to herself.

Still, the remembrance of the little talk with Mrs. Fairchild was in her mind.  She took no notice of Biddy’s remark, only telling her cheerfully to run in quickly and get ready for tea, as it was almost ready.

The children’s mother went to Seacove again the next day, but this time she did not take either of them with her.  She went straight to Pier Street, and as soon as Mrs. Fairchild saw her coming into the shop she came forward with a smile and showed her into the parlour.  There Celestina was sitting quietly working at some new clothes for her little dolls:  she wanted them to be very smart indeed, in case the Rectory young ladies came to see them.  She rose from her seat at once when Mrs. Vane came in, but a shadow of disappointment crossed her face when she saw that the lady was alone.