Page:The Adventures of David Simple (1904).djvu/210

 me with the iron, fancying it was so soft I could not feel it, while the hurt was not great enough to throw me off my guard, I would not tell him of it. Indeed, I would get from him, if it was in my power, as I will now from my father, lest I should be tempted to act a part I myself think wrong, and contrive some method of undeceiving him, to his own misery.' "Valentine was by this time quite cool, and approved of what I had said. We therefore took a resolution of going from thence, though we knew not whither, nor who would receive us. We at last recollected we had an old aunt, who used to be very kind to us, and appeared to have taken a great fancy to Valentine: to her therefore we went, and begged her, for some little time, till we could settle what to do with ourselves, to let us remain in her house. We told her as much of what had happened as we thought just necessary to plead for us in going from our father's house; but with the greatest caution, that we might throw as little blame on him as possible. We could not avoid letting her a little into Livia's behaviour, for we had no other justification for what we had done. She said she was very much amazed at what we told her, for Livia had a very good character; but she supposed this was a passionate quarrel, and she would take care of us till such time as it could be made up again. We assured her that was impossible; that we would on no account ever go back to a place we had suffered so much in, and only entreated as the greatest favour that she would grant us some little corner of her house to be in, and let nobody know we were there. She took little notice of what we said, but resolved to act her own way. "The next day she went out, and at her return came into the room where we were, with the greatest fury imaginable in her looks; and asked us what it was we meant by telling her a story of Livia's