She
unlocked it and entered. In the letter-box was a post-card from her
father stating that he and Elizabeth had changed their plans and would
not be back till the train which arrived at half-past eight on the
following morning. So much the better, she thought. Then she disarranged
the clothes upon her bed to make it seem as though it had been slept it,
lit the kitchen fire, and put the kettle on to boil, and as soon as it
was ready she took some food. She wanted all her nerve, and that could
not be kept up without food.
Shortly after this the girl Betty returned, and went about her duties in
the house quite unconscious that Beatrice had been away from it for
the whole night. Her sister was much better, she said, in answer to
Beatrice's inquiries.
When she had eaten what she could--it was not much--Beatrice went to her
room, undressed herself, bathed, and put on clean, fresh things. Then
she unbound her lovely hair, and did it up in a coronet upon her head.
It was a fashion that she did not often adopt, because it took too much
time, but on this day, of all days, she had a strange fancy to look
her best.
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