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"But do you really dislike her as much as ever?" asked Elma, who, shabby and mean as she was, in her poor little soul could scarcely bring herself to run down generous Kitty just then. "Dislike her!" cried Alice. "I hate her there! I suppose that's flat and plain enough." "It certainly is." "But you don't mean to say it is impossible, Elma that you see anything to like in her?"
Father was very pleased to have her, and whatever she is, she is a lady by birth." "So she is rich?" remarked Elma in a low voice. "Well, at any rate," she continued after a pause, "she is very pretty." "Pretty!" cried Gwin; "I should just think she is. She has the most lovely face I ever saw. Girls, it is quite true what she says; she will fascinate any number of people.
As Kitty spoke she poured out a cup of tea, added milk to it, and pushed it toward Elma. Elma drank it off, and when she had done so the confused feeling in her head got a little better. Kitty then began to speak in a low, excited whisper. "Let us do something," she said. "Let us do something quite mad and wild and jolly. We have got out of our scrape."
He got as far as his knees, and then turned back. As he was going back he fell, wetting himself and crying out lustily. Elma continued to gaze at him with eyes which scarcely saw. "He thinks he is hurt," she said to herself, "that he has had a terrible misfortune. How little he knows what real pain means, and what real misfortune is!
At last the time came when they must really part, or she would be late for lunch, and mamma would know all; mamma would read everything. He looked her wistfully in the face. Elma held out her lips, obedient to that mute demand, with remorseful blush of maidenly shame on her cheek. "Only once," she murmured. "Just to seal our compact. For the first and last time. You go away to-morrow."
What I have really come about is this: It is necessary for Elma to have a certificate from her present mistress in order to be admitted into the very first-class school in Germany where I propose to place her. Will you kindly give me a testimonial in my niece's favor, Miss Sherrard? Just say anything you can to the credit of her character and general attainments.
"And, having told me, I wish you would go away," said Kitty. "I don't know that you have bettered matters in any way. Of course I am sorry for Elma; but it is only right that you should know something. It would be well also for Elma to know the truth. I told her yesterday when I went to your house that I would keep her secret until after morning school." "Good gracious!
Elma noted that Colonel Kelmscott was evidently ill at ease; a thing most unusual with that proud, self-reliant aristocrat. He held himself, to be sure, as straight and erect as ever, and moved about the grounds with that same haughty air of perfect supremacy, as of one who was monarch of all he surveyed in the county of Surrey.
When a man's neck's at stake when a matter of life and death's at issue I don't like to keep any one longer in suspense than I absolutely need. Delay would be cruel." As he spoke he lifted his eyes and caught Elma Clifford's. The judge let his own drop again in speechless agony. Elma's never flinched.
As for Cyril, he had no need to look towards a blushing face in the body of the court to know that the voice was Elma Clifford's. She sat there looking lovelier than he had ever before seen her. Cyril's glance caught hers. They didn't need to speak. He saw at once in her eye that Elma at least knew instinctively he was innocent.
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