And any stranger watching the face in which the hardness of an
"old campaigner" already strove with youth, would have thought her, and
not Diana, the mistress of the house.
At Diana's question, Fanny's eyes flickered a moment.
"Oh, well, I had lots of things in my mind. But it was the money that
mattered most."
"I see," murmured Diana.
Fanny fidgeted a little with one of the three bead necklaces which
adorned her. Then she broke out:
"Look here, Diana, you've never been poor in your life, so you don't
know what it's like being awfully hard up. But ever since father died,
mother's had a frightful lot of trouble--all of us to keep, and the
boys' schooling to pay, and next to nothing to do it on. Father left
everything in a dreadful muddle. He never had a bit of sense--"
Diana made a sudden movement. Fanny looked at her astonished, expecting
her to speak. Diana, however, said nothing, and the girl resumed:
"I mean, in business. He'd got everything into a shocking state, and
instead of six hundred a year for us--as we'd always been led on to
expect--well, there wasn't three! Then, you know, Uncle Mallory used to
send us money.
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