She bade her father good night, asking his blessing
as of old, but when Mr. Belamour kissed her hand and repeated the
good night, she said, "Sir, I ought to have trusted you; I am so
sorry."
"It is all well now, my child," he said, soothingly, understanding
Betty's wish; "Sleep, and we will talk it over."
So the happy sisters once more slept in each other's arms, till in
the early summer morning Betty heard the whole story from Aurelia,
now fully herself, though she slumbered again after all was poured
into her sister's bosom.
Betty had sympathised step by step, and felt even more strongly than
Harriet that the situation had been intolerable for womanhood, and
that only Aurelia's childishness could have endured it so long. Only
the eldest sister held that it would have been right and honourable
to have spoken before flashing out the flame; but when, with many
tears of contrition, Aurelia owned that she had long thought so, and
longed to confess it, what could the motherly sister do but kiss the
tears away, and rejoice that the penance was over which had been borne
with such constancy and self-devotion.
Then Betty rose quietly, and after giving thanks on her knees that the
gentle spirit had passed through all unscathed, untainted with even
the perception of evil, she applied herself to the adaptation of one
of her morning caps to her poor shorn lamb's head.
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