The young widow walked smartly back, holding her eldest boy's hand, and
administered a sharp rebuke to him for talking too much. To which Cecil
replied that he had only answered when he was spoken to. This elicited a
scolding for his impertinence, and produced further tart answers from
the fluent young gentleman, which ended by his being dismissed in a fury
to Jane, _vice_ Charles, promoted to walk beside mamma.
As may be supposed, Mrs. Liddell lost no time about answering her
daughter's note in person. In truth, toward the end of a week's
separation she generally began to hunger painfully for a sight of her
Katie's face, to feel the clasp of her soft arms, and to this was added
in the present instance serious uneasiness respecting the strain to
which her sense of responsibility as nurse as well as housekeeper must
subject so inexperienced a creature.
It was rather late in the afternoon when Mrs. Liddell reached Legrave
Crescent, and the servant showed her into the front parlor at once.
Katherine almost feared to draw her uncle's attention to the visitor. He
had had all the papers read to him, and even asked for some articles to
be read a second time; now after his dinner he seemed to doze. If he had
not noticed Mrs.
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