Fantasy fiction; Siblings -- Juvenile fiction; Twins -- Juvenile fiction
Molly stood perfectly motionless, so that the blind woman should
not hear her move and know that any one was near. The woman came
on hesitatingly, tap, tap, tapping with her stick. Molly watched
her. The woman passed within a short distance of where Molly was
standing—stopped; listened; then moved on.
At that moment one of Molly’s feet slipped a little, and the stones on
which she was standing moved, and several trickled down and fell with
a _plomp_ into the water. The woman stopped immediately; while Molly
bit her lip at her own carelessness.
“Is any one there?” asked the woman, turning, and facing in the
direction whence the sound had come.
Molly did not answer, but looked straight at the woman. And as she
looked, a puzzled expression came over Molly’s face. Where had she seen
the blind woman’s face before? She _had_ seen it; of this she felt
certain, and yet— Then suddenly Molly knew. It was the same face that
she had seen in Mrs Jennet’s photo album. It was the face of Miss Lydia!
This discovery gave Molly a shock, and sent all her thoughts and plans
tumbling helter-skelter over each other. What was she to do now?
Meanwhile, as no reply had been given to her question, the blind
woman sighed, and passed on. Molly did not know what to do, or whom
to believe. She had never been wrong before in trusting one of her
friend’s friends; and this certainly looked like the Miss Lydia of
whom Mrs Jennet had spoken. But _had_ Old Nancy written that letter?
If so, she would, of course, trust her before any one, and obey her
instructions.
“I can’t find out who wrote the letter, at least, not yet,” thought
Molly. “But I can find out if she really is Miss Lydia.”
Her mind made up, she stepped forward a few paces, and called in a
clear voice:
“There _is_ some one here. Can I help you?”
The blind woman turned eagerly, and groped her way back toward the
voice.
“Oh, I am so glad to hear some one speak again—but who are you? Are
you a friend?” asked the woman anxiously. “I am so helpless, you know,
and—and——”
“I am willing to be your friend, if— But who are you?” asked Molly.
“What is your name?”
“My name is Lydia North,” replied the woman. “And I live in a little
cottage—up there—somewhere”—she waved her arm vaguely. “On the side
of the Giant’s Head.... Oh, tell me who you are, please!”
“I am a little girl,” answered Molly. “And if you are truly Miss
Lydia—I am your friend. Tell me what I can do for you.”
“Will you lead me back to my home again? I cannot find my way from
here, there seem to be hills all round that shut me in. I cannot find
the way out and I am afraid of walking into the water; I nearly fell in
just now.”
“How did you get here, Miss Lydia?” asked Molly. “I was hoping to meet
you at your cottage—Mrs Jennet told me about you—told me to call and
see you.... But I didn’t know that you were—blind.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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