She passed through the hall. The lamp was not yet lighted and in the darkness she stumbled over something and nearly fell. As she uttered a slight cry, Johanna hastened in with a light.
"Oh, I beg your pardon, ma'am, it is the young lady's trunk, who arrived about a quarter of an hour ago. Dora forgot to carry it to her room."
Jenny cast an angry glance at the modest box, ran up the stairs and knocked at her sister's door.
"It is I, Gertrude," she called out in her clear ringing voice. She heard light footsteps and the bolt was gently drawn back and the door opened.
"You, Jenny?" inquired Gertrude, just as Frank had said a few minutes before, "you, Jenny?"
It was almost dark in the room; Jenny could not see her sister's face.
"Why do you sit here in the dark, Gertrude? I beg of you tell me quick all that has happened. Mamma and I are dying of anxiety."
"You need have no anxiety," replied Gertrude. "It is all right."
"All right?" asked Jenny in surprise. "You cannot make me believe that, _He_ alone at the table and _you_ up here with your door locked--come confess, child, that you have not made it up."
"Please take a seat, Jenny," said the young wife, wearily.
Jenny sat down on the lounge, and Gertrude took up her position at the window again. It was still as death in the room and in the whole house.
"It would have been wiser if you had not married at all, Gertrude," began her sister, with a sigh.
"But, it can't be helped--you are tied fast--oh, yes! You must put up with everything, you must not even have an opinion of your own, I am quite ill too from the vexation I had last evening. At last I ran up to mamma. She was dreadfully frightened when she saw me standing before her bed in my night-dress. I cried all night long. This morning I waited. I thought he would come up for me, he was usually so remorseful--but he didn't come and as I was taking breakfast with mamma Sophie brought me a card from him in which he very coolly informed me that he had gone to Manchester for a fortnight. Well--I wish him a happy journey!"
"You must not take it so dreadfully to heart, child," continued the young matron. "Good gracious, it is well it is no worse. All women have something to put up with and sometimes it is far worse than this."