You're a plain girl; you have got
a crooked shoulder; you're only a housemaid--what do you mean by
attempting to speak to Me?" You never uttered a word of that, Mr.
Franklin; but you said it all to me, nevertheless! Is such madness as
this to be accounted for? No. There is nothing to be done but to confess
it, and let it be.
"I ask your pardon, once more, for this wandering of my pen. There is no
fear of its happening again. I am close at the end now.
"The first person who disturbed me by coming into the empty room was
Penelope. She had found out my secret long since, and she had done her
best to bring me to my senses--and done it kindly too.
"'Ah!' she said, 'I know why you're sitting here, and fretting, all by
yourself. The best thing that can happen for your advantage, Rosanna,
will be for Mr. Franklin's visit here to come to an end. It's my belief
that he won't be long now before he leaves the house."
"In all my thoughts of you I had never thought of your going away. I
couldn't speak to Penelope. I could only look at her.
"'I've just left Miss Rachel,' Penelope went on. 'And a hard matter
I have had of it to put up with her temper.
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