A letter she had been expecting all the week had not arrived.

Her mother was sick and poor.
What dreadful thing had happened at home?
"Oh, she is not worse than usual," put in Hetty, in the shrill piping tone which she chose to give to Mrs.Crawford.

"Don't be alarmed." Miss Davis did not easily recover from her first shock of alarm.

She remained quite pale, and Hetty wondered to see so much feeling in a person whom she had often thought to be almost a mere teaching-machine.
"The news is about your uncle," went on Mark.

"Perhaps you have not heard that he is married." "No, I had not heard," murmured Miss Davis; and she looked as if this indeed was a terrible blow to her.