d her?"

"I shall be obliged to speak of your father if I tell you how?"

"Speak of him."

"_He_ was not to blame--mind that!" Mrs. Ellmother said earnestly. "If I
wasn't certain of what I say now you wouldn't get a word out of me. Good
harmless man--there's no denying it--he _was_ in love with Miss Jethro!
What's the matter?"

Emily was thinking of her memorable conversation with the disgraced
teacher on her last night at school. "Nothing" she answered. "Go on."

"If he had not tried to keep it secret from us," Mrs. Ellmother resumed,
"your aunt might never have taken it into her head that he was entangled
in a love affair of the shameful sort. I don't deny that I helped her in
her inquiries; but it was only because I felt sure from the first that
the more she discovered the more certainly my master's innocence would
show itself. He used to go away and visit Miss Jethro privately. In the
time when your aunt trusted me, we never could find out where. She
made that discovery afterward for herself (I can't tell you how long
afterward); and she spent money in employing mean wretches to pry into
Miss Jethro's past life. She had (if you will excuse me for saying it)
an old maid's hatred of the handsome young woman, who lured your father
away from home, and set up a secret (in a manner of speaking) between
her brother and herself. I won't tell you how we looked at letters and
other things which he forgot to leave under lock and key. I will only
say there was one bit, in a journal he kept, which made me ashamed of
myself. I read it out to Miss Letitia; and I told her in so many words,
not to count any more on me. No; I haven't got a copy of the words--I
can remember them without a copy. 'Even if my religion did not forbid
me to peril my soul by leading a life of sin with this woman whom I
love'--that was how it began--'the thought of my daughter would keep
me pure. No conduct of mine shall ever make me unworthy of my child's
affection and respect.' There! I'm making you cry; I won't stay here any
longer. All that I had to say has been said. Nobody but Miss Ladd knows
for certain whether your aunt was innocent or guilty in the matter
of Miss Jethro's disgrace. Please to excuse me; my work's waiting
downstairs."

From time to time, as she pursued her domestic labors, Mrs. Ellmother
thought of Mirabel. Hours on hours had passed--and the doctor had not
appeared. Was he too busy to spare even a few minutes of his time? Or