And this she was not likely to do. Mrs. Meredith
had been too kind to her during the past summer, and especially during
her illness, to allow of such a thought concerning her, and, in a maze
of perplexity, she replied to his inquiries: "We keep but one servant,
Esther, and she, I know, is trusty. Besides, who could have refused
him for me? Grandfather would not, I know, because--because----"
She hesitated a little and her cheeks blushed scarlet, as she added:
"I sometimes thought he wished it to be."
If Thornton had previously a doubt as to the other man who stood
between himself and Anna, that doubt was now removed, and laying aside
all thoughts of self, he exclaimed: "I tell you there is a great wrong
somewhere. Arthur never told an untruth; he thought that you refused
him; he thinks so still, and I shall never rest till I have solved the
mystery. I will write to him to-day."
For an instant there swept over Anna a feeling of unutterable joy as
she thought of what the end might be; then, as she remembered Lucy,
her heart seemed to stop its beating, and, with a moan, she stretched
her hand toward Thornton, who had risen as if to leave her.
"No, no; you must not interfere," she said.
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