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Audrey Mary Johnston 17810K 2023-09-01

Haward smiled "Child, you have conned your lesson well Leave the words

of the book, and tell e what his reverence wants"

Audrey told hi When she

had corievances, she sat, with downcast

eyes, waiting for hi that he would not look at her so

steadily She meant never to show hiaze it was hard to keep her cheek fro

At last he spoke: "Would it please you, Audrey, if I should save this man

from his just deserts?"

Audrey raised her eyes "He and Mistress Deborah are all lebe house is my hoht, , had left

her in the outer shadow: she sat there with a listless grace; with a

dignity, too, that was not without pathos There had been a forlorn child;

there had been an unfriended girl; there was nooe was subtle; one ht not have noted it "I will petition the

Coht," he said, "the Governor to-ht as you say, little maid?"

Oh, he could reach to the quick! She was sure that he had not ratitude, and pitifully sure that she uilty of it "No, no!" she cried "I have had a friend"--Her voice broke,

and she started to her feet, her face to the door, all her being

quiveringly eager to be gone She had asked that which she was bidden to

ask, had gained that which she was bidden to gain; for the rest, it was

far better that she should go Better far for him to think her dull and

thankless as a stone than see--than see-When Haward caught her by the hand, she tre

breath "'I have had a friend,' Audrey?" he asked "Why not 'I have a

friend'?"

"Why not?" thought Audrey "Of course he would think, why not? Well,

then"-"I have a friend," she said aloud "Have you not been to enerous"--She faltered, but presently went on, a strange

courage coh she

looked not at hih

It fell now upon her face "It is a great thing to save life," she

said "To save a soul alive, how e that there is goodness, iven it bread to eat where it sat a the stones, water to drink where

all the streaht be proud of that! And that is

what you have done for o, and

left me with the minister and his wife, they were not always kind But I

knew that you thought them so, and I always said to myself, 'If he knew,

he would be sorry for me' At last I said, 'He is sorry for me; there is

the sea, and he cannot come, but he knows, and is sorry' It was

ht that I was happy, did you not?--but it