Dolores tried to forget or disbelieve the words she had heard about his
having come to fetch her away, and said no word about them until they
had been unmistakably repeated. Then she felt a sort of despair at the
idea of being separated from her aunt and Mysie, for indeed they had
penetrated to affections deeper than had ever been consciously stirred
in her before. Yet she was old enough to shrink from allowing to her
father that she preferred staying with them to going with him, and it
was to her Aunt Jane that she had recourse. That lady, after returning
from her expedition to bring her sister Adeline to Silverton, was
surprised by a timid knock at the door, and Dolores's entrance.
'Oh, if you please, Aunt Jane, may I come in? I do so want to speak to
you alone. Don't you think it is a sad pity that I should go away from
the Cambridge examination? Could not you tell my father so?'
'You want to stay for the Cambridge examination,' said Aunt Jane, a
little amused at the manner of touching on the subject, though sorry
for the girl.
'I have been taking great pains under Miss Vincent, and it does seem a
pity to miss it.'
'I don't think it will make much difference to you.'
'Oh, but I do want to be thoroughly well educated. I meant to go
through them all, like Gillian and Mysie, and I am sure father must
wish it too. I know he meant it when he went out last year.'
'Yes, he did,' said Miss Mohun. 'It was very unlucky that he did not
get any of our later letters.
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