VALLEY

CHAPTER VIIIMiss CORNELIA INTERVENESMISS CORNELIA descended uponthe mansethe next day and cross-questioned Mary, who,being a young person of considerable discernment andastuteness, told her story simply and* truthfully, withan entire absence of complaint or bravado. MissCornelia was more favourably impressed than she hadexpected to be,but deemed it her duty"Do you think," she said sternly,to be severe."that you showedyour gratitude to this family, who have been far tookind to you, by insulting and chasing one of their littlefriends as you did yesterday ?""Say, it was rotten mean of me," admitted Maryeasily. "I dunno what possessed me. That old codfishseemed to come in so blamed handy. But I was awfulsorry I cried last night after I went to bed about it,honest I did. You ask Una if I didn't. I wouldn'ttell her what for 'cause I was ashamed of it, and thenshe cried, too, because she was afraid some one hadhurt my feelings. Laws, I ain't got any feelings tohurt worth speaking of. What worries me is whyMrs. Wiley hain't been huntingher."for me.It ain't likeMiss Cornelia herself thought it rather peculiar, but78