Page:Gissing - The Unclassed, vol. I, 1884.djvu/29

 In the shop Miss Rutherford renewed to the chemist her sincere regret for what had taken place.

“Of course I cannot risk the recurrence of such a thing,” she said. “The child who did it will not return to me, Mr. Smales.”

Mr. Smales uttered incoherent excuses, apologies, and thanks, and shufflingly escorted the lady to his shop-door.

Miss Rutherford went home in trouble. She did not doubt the truth of what Harriet Smales had told her, for she herself had already entertained uneasy suspicions, dating indeed from the one interview she had had with Mrs. Starr, when Ida was first brought to the school, and deriving confirmation from a chance meeting in the street only a few days ago. It was only too plain what she must do, and the necessity grieved her. Ida had not shown any especial brilliancy at her books, but the child’s character was a remarkable one, and displayed a strength which might eventually operate either for good or for evil. With careful training, it seemed at present very probable that the good would predominate. But