I suppose I'm afraid of her.

And besides'-- the words came reluctantly--: 'she does a lot for me.

I _ought_ to be very grateful!' Yes, Hester Martin did know that, in a sense, Bridget did 'a lot' for her younger sisters.

It was not many weeks since she had made their acquaintance, but there had been time for her to see how curiously dependent young Mrs.Sarratt was on Miss Cookson.

There was no real sympathy between them; nor could Miss Martin believe that there was ever much sense of kinship.