"
Hammond was absent about ten minutes; they seemed like so many hours
to anxious Prissie. To her horror she saw him returning alone, and now
she so far forgot her muddy boots as to run two or three steps to meet
him. She knocked over a footstool as she did so, and one or two people
looked round and shrugged their shoulders at the poor gauche girl.
"Where is she?" exclaimed Prissie, again speaking in a loud voice.
"Oh, haven't you brought her? What shall I do?"
"It's all right, I assure you, Miss Peel. Let me conduct you back to
that snug seat in the window. I have seen Miss Merton, and she says
you are to make yourself happy. She asked Miss Heath's permission for
you both to be absent from dinner to-day."
"She did? I never heard of anything so outrageous. I won't stay. I
shall go away at once."
"Had you not better just think calmly over it? If you return to St.
Benet's without Miss Merton, you will get her into a scrape."
"Do you think I care for that? Oh, she has behaved disgracefully! She
has told Miss Heath a lie. I shall explain matters the very moment I
go back."
Priscilla was not often in a passion, but she felt in one now. She
lost her shyness and her voice rose without constraint.
"I am not supposed to know the ways of society," she said, "but I
don't think I want to know much about this sort of society.
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