Never had the china been washed more carefully or quickly, or the
furniture better dusted, or the table better arranged for dinner, and
had Bessie been a trained servant from the queen's household she could
not have waited upon her aunt more deftly or respectfully than she did.
But the strain upon her nerves began to tell upon her, and after her
dishes were washed, and she was assured by the cook that there was
nothing more for her to do until tea-time, she went to her room for a
little rest, just as a carriage dashed up to the door, and the bell rang
fiercely. Scarcely, however, had Bessie reached the hall on her way to
answer the ring, when her aunt, who, it seemed to her, was everywhere
present, darted out from some quarter, and seizing her by the shoulder
said, quickly:
"Go back to your room. I'll let her in myself."
Was she angry, and if so, at what? Bessie wondered, as she returned to
her room, and sitting down by the bed laid her tired head upon the
pillow, while a few tears rolled down her cheeks as she recalled her
aunt's sharp tones.
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