"I shall not stand on warning you, Molly. I shall forbid the banns in
church, if need be," said Miss Browning, half convinced of the clear
transparent truth of what Molly had said--blushing all over, it is
true, but with her steady eyes fixed on Miss Browning's face while
she spoke.
"Do!" said Molly.
"Well, well, I won't say any more. Perhaps I was mistaken. We won't
say any more about it. But remember what I have said, Molly; there's
no harm in that, at any rate. I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, Mrs.
Gibson. As stepmothers go, I think you try and do your duty. Good
morning. Good-by to you both, and God bless you."
If Miss Browning thought that her final blessing would secure peace
in the room she was leaving, she was very much mistaken; Mrs. Gibson
burst out with,--
"Try and do my duty, indeed! I should be much obliged to you, Molly,
if you would take care not to behave in such a manner as to bring
down upon me such impertinence as I have just been receiving from
Miss Browning."
"But I don't know what made her talk as she did, mamma," said Molly.
"I'm sure I don't know, and I don't care either. But I know
that I never was spoken to as if I was trying to do my duty
before,--'trying' indeed! everybody always knew that I did it,
without talking about it before my face in that rude manner. I've
that deep feeling about duty that I think it ought only to be talked
about in church, and in such sacred places as that; not to have a
common caller startling one with it, even though she was an early
friend of your mother's. And as if I didn't look after you quite as
much as I look after Cynthia! Why, it was only yesterday I went up
into Cynthia's room and found her reading a letter that she put away
in a hurry as soon as I came in, and I didn't even ask her who it was
from, and I'm sure I should have made you tell me."
Very likely. Mrs. Gibson shrank from any conflicts with Cynthia,
pretty sure that she would be worsted in the end; while Molly
generally submitted sooner than have any struggle for her own will.
Just then Cynthia came in.
"What's the matter?" said she quickly, seeing that something was
wrong.
"Why, Molly has been doing something which has set that impertinent
Miss Browning off into lecturing me on trying to do my duty! If your
poor father had but lived, Cynthia, I should never have been spoken
to as I have been. 'A stepmother trying to do her duty,' indeed! That
was Miss Browning's expression."