In the morning Jane stuck close to her,
and in the afternoon William walked to the school gate with them.
But Alethea's manner was kinder towards her than ever, and she was
quite satisfied about her.
It gave her more pain to perceive that Emily in every possible manner
avoided being alone with her. It was by her desire that Phyllis came
to sleep in their room; she would keep Jane talking there, give
Esther some employment which kept her in their presence, linger in
the drawing-room while Lilias was dressing, and at bedtime be too
sleepy to say anything but good-night.
That Sunday was a sorrowful one to Eleanor; for in the course of the
conversation with Ada, which Mr. Mohun had desired her to hold, she
became conscious of the little girl's double-dealing ways. It was
only by a very close cross-examination that she was able to extract
from her a true account of the disaster, and though Ada never went so
far as actually to tell a falsehood, it was evident that she was
willing to conceal as much as possible, and to throw the blame on
other people. And when the real facts were confessed she did not
seem able to comprehend why she was regarded with displeasure; her
instinct of truth and obedience was lost for the time, and Eleanor
saw it with the utmost pain.
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