Page:The strange experiences of Tina Malone.djvu/34

34 "I'll have nothing for tea if you don't. I've only got a tin of sardines."

"Eat bread and butter," she said, "it will do you good."

I had hoped she was going to pass it off as a joke—But no, she kept the door locked and I went home defeated.

A day or two after this I asked my sister to see me and, knowing that I might not be home before she arrived I left a notice on my door that I had left my key with the little Anglican lady next door.

"Miss Morton wasn't in," she said.

"Well I do think Naomi or Miss Perkins might have asked you in," I said.

"Mrs. Parker did ask me in but I said I would not go in till I had seen you first," she said—Kitty was very loyal and I had written to her of my trouble.

"I ran down to ask her up to tea this morning but she was out," I said.

"She said she was coming up to speak to me after tea because she wanted to speak when you were there," said my sister.

"Oh dear!" I sighed, "She means to keep it up, then."

"She said you had persecuted her," said my sister. "What's it all about?"

"Persecuted her!" I repeated, perplexed and aghast. "Then she does mean to keep it up!"

I set to work to give her a rough outline of the little trifling squabbles that had brought the feeling about.

After tea Naomi sailed in and along the hall like a tragedy queen, letters in hand and stood before my sister.

"Read these," she said, handing them to Kitty.

There was a queer look on her face, her eyes were hard and her face like a mask—not a bit like the woman I had known.

My sister took them and read them.

"There's no harm in these," she said, looking up, her face softened and gentle, as she would speak to someone who was weak and ill, "I think my sister only shows she is fond of you."

"She must send a written apology. I will not have my friends spoken of so," she said.

She thrust me aside when I tried to break in.

"That will do," she said.

I looked up at her.

"I believe you've said something about me you're ashamed of," I said.

She winced and looked at me a moment with those hard eyes, then turned away.

I was determined now that the White Priestess should be present at the Tribunal.