I left him, miserable enough, leaning on the sill of my window, with his
face hidden in his hands and Penelope peeping through the door, longing
to comfort him. In Mr. Franklin's place, I should have called her in.
When you are ill-used by one woman, there is great comfort in telling it
to another--because, nine times out of ten, the other always takes your
side. Perhaps, when my back was turned, he did call her in? In that case
it is only doing my daughter justice to declare that she would stick at
nothing, in the way of comforting Mr. Franklin Blake.
In the meantime, Sergeant Cuff and I proceeded to my lady's room.
At the last conference we had held with her, we had found her not over
willing to lift her eyes from the book which she had on the table. On
this occasion there was a change for the better. She met the Sergeant's
eye with an eye that was as steady as his own. The family spirit showed
itself in every line of her face; and I knew that Sergeant Cuff would
meet his match, when a woman like my mistress was strung up to hear the
worst he could say to her.