"Why do you?"
"Why shouldn't I? It isn't as if she was a lady. One of her uncles is a
butcher; she told Clare so."
"I don't see why she should be ashamed of it," returned Rose, answering
Pauline's tone rather than her words. "It's what people are in themselves
that matters, not what trade their relations belong to. But Miss Sampson
has no relations of her very own. The M'Alisters adopted her. And Aunt
Lucy thinks that her uncle might have been Cousin Lydia's husband. It is
that which made Aunt Lucy so interested in her at first. For, you know, if
Cousin Lydia's little girl had lived, she would have had Woodcote, and not
Tom. And she and her father would have come to England when Uncle James
died."
Pauline was watching Rose's face curiously. She did not feel any interest
in Cousin Lydia and her husband, but she could not understand Rose's
change of attitude towards Rhoda Sampson. One explanation occurred to
her--a delightful one. Had Rose made up her mind to spend the summer in
London with her? Was this the reason she felt glad that her aunt had
someone she liked to take her place?
"Well, as I said before, Rosie, I am grateful to Miss Rhoda Sampson," she
said laughingly. "If she was not at Woodcote, you would not be here. And I
shall get more and more grateful to her as the weeks go on. I may get to
love her in time, if she enables us to spend the summer together.
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