What right had
Julian to play upon her feelings and pry into her secrets? My
poor, tempted, tortured child! I won't hear her confession. Not
another word shall she say to any living creature. I am
mistress--I will forbid it at once!" She snatched a sheet of
notepaper from the case; hesitated, and threw it from her on the
table. "Why not send for my darling?" she thought. "Why write?"
She hesitated once more, and resigned the idea. "No! I can't
trust myself! I daren't see her yet!"
She took up the sheet of paper again, and wrote her second
message to Mercy. This time the note began fondly with a familiar
form of address.
"MY DEAR CHILD--I have had time to think and compose myself a
little, since I last wrote, requesting you to defer the
explanation which you had promised me. I already understand (and
appreciate) the motives which led you to interfere as you did
downstairs, and I now ask you to entirely abandon the
explanation. It will, I am sure, be painful to you (for reasons
of your own into which I have no wish to inquire) to produce the
person of whom you spoke, and as you know already, I myself am
weary of hearing of her. Besides, there is really no need now for
you to explain anything.
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