This morning there were only two: one for mamma--a long one, it seemed, but not a foreign one, as I saw by a glance at the thick paper while she was reading it. But I had not noticed anything about Taisy's, and when a queer kind of little gasp made me look round at her, my first thought was that there was bad news of papa, which some one had somehow sent first to her--Taisy--for her to 'break it,' as they say, to mamma.
And my heart began to beat furiously, and no wonder, I think, for Taisy was as white as the tablecloth, and was evidently on the point of bursting into tears.
'Taisy, Taisy,' I whispered. Luckily she was sitting next me, so that I could speak to her in a low voice without being overheard. 'Is it--oh, is it, anything wrong with papa?' and I felt myself clasping my hands together under the table in an agony of terror.
_My_ face brought back Taisy's presence of mind.
'No, no,' she said. 'Nothing of that kind--nothing wrong really. I know I am very silly,' and already the colour was coming back to her cheeks, for she was not a nervous or delicate girl at all. 'It is only--oh, I must tell auntie first, and then you will understand the sort of fright I got.'
She stopped abruptly, for just then mamma looked up from her letter and spoke to Taisy. She was smiling a little, which made me feel all the more puzzled as to what was the matter with Taisy when I heard her reply to mamma's question, 'Have you too a letter from your grandmother?' 'Yes, auntie,' as if the two words were all she could force herself to say.
Still, mamma did not notice her peculiar manner. She herself turned again to her letter.
'I must say my respect for our gypsy has risen,' she remarked, 'though I suppose it is really only a rather odd coincidence.'
At this Taisy's colour changed again and her lips began to quiver. And, happening to glance across the table, I saw that Esmé's mouth was wide open, and that she was staring gravely at Taisy, in a way quite unusual with her. I could not make it out at all.
Breakfast was over by this time. Mamma turned to the children.
'Run off, dears, but don't be very long. You have just time for a little blow before Taisy and Ida are ready for lessons.'
'But, mamma,' began Esmé, 'I want to speak to Taisy first.'