more
than anything on the face of the earth, except--oh, yes! except going to
the dancing school at Charlotte Hall, whither she was taken with her
cousins at Oldfield twice a week.

CHAPTER XVIII

THE VISIT TO MISS SIBBY

Just such an evening the two cronies had passed on the day previous to
this sudden invitation to go to Miss Sibby's.

Rosemary hated to go. She knew to do so would involve the sacrifice of
their evening readings.

"Oh, Aunt Sukey," she said, as she buttoned up her blue bombazet
pelisse--"oh, to think that we had got into such an interesting part of
'The Children of the Abbey!' Amanda had just met Lord Mortimer! And now it
will be a week, or maybe a fortnight, before we can go on with it."

"Never mind, Rosemary. Your mother lets you stay with me nearly always,
and you are her only child, too, and she is a widow; so when she sends for
us we must go," said Aunt Sukey.

"Oh, yes, I know; but Amanda and Lord Mortimer----"

"Never mind Amanda and Lord Mortimer; they can wait until we come back.
Now roll up your quilt pieces, and we will put them in my bag. Come! are
you ready?"

"Yes, Aunt Sukey, soon as I have pulled on my mits."

"Now we must go and take leave of Molly and the children," said Miss
Grandiere.

But as she spoke, there entered from the door on the right of the
fireplace a pretty, fragile woman of about forty-five years of age, who,
with the exception of her fair skin, blue eyes and brown hair, bore not
the slightest resemblance to her tall, stately and handsome sister. She
was dressed in a brown, linsey gown, white apron, white neck shawl and
white cap. She was closely followed by two little girls of ten and twelve
years of age, fair and blue-eyed, like their mother, with frocks that
seemed to have been cut off the same piece as their mother's gown. These
were the two children of the house--Erina and Melina Elk.

"Why, I have just heard from Dan that you are going Down on the Bay," said
the newcomer.

"Yes; Dolly Hedge has sent for us; and as I wanted to go so as to see the
wedding at All Faith on Tuesday, I think it is rather lucky that she has
sent."

"How long are you going to stay?"

"Until after the wedding, certainly; perhaps longer."

"Well, I do feel so ashamed of the Forces for throwing off their own flesh
and blood for the sake of a stranger and a foreigner, that I have no
patience with them; and I wouldn't go to the wedding, no, not if it was
next do