Agatha had been fretting all the afternoon in this fashion, until she had forced herself to believe her own dismal prophecies, and no words of her guardian availed to comfort her.
He was standing beside her couch now, holding her thin right hand in his firm grasp, smilingly trying to persuade her to be more reasonable, and to take the tea and hot buttered toast which Harriet had prepared with so much care.
The colonel was enveloped in a huge cloak, for he was going out to read aloud at a Young Men's Club,--a habit of his on many Sunday evenings.
'Catherine is true to her promises, I am certain of that, dear. She will come to you if she possibly can.'
'Very likely; but she is sure to be afraid of the weather. Just listen to the wind and rain! It is a shame, when the morning was so lovely.'
'God's weather, my little woman: that must be for the best.'
'Oh, _bother_!' was the rude answer, and Agatha turned her head away from her best friend.
The colonel did not take offence. He was grieved by her rebellion against God far more than by her impertinence to himself; and he was sufficiently humble to recollect how short a time it was since he had learned to trust the All-Father, saying in his thoughts, 'If I, a grown man, could be both ignorant and stubborn-willed, how dare I be shocked by this invalid child's foolishness?'
So, instead of scolding, he slipped an arm under Agatha's shoulders to raise her up, that she might take her tea before he was obliged to leave her.
'If Catherine comes, you will need strength to entertain her cheerfully. Be brave and good, dear.'
Agatha longed to push the cup away from her, but his patient kindness prevailed over her cross mood.
'I'm a savage little beast. Guardian, I'm--I'm sorry!'
'There's a dear girl! No doubt pain is very bad to bear.'
'I haven't any pain now--only in my temper. But I don't pretend to be _religiously_ sorry, you know; I don't want to be bad to you--that's all.'
'Your Father in heaven loves you better than I, your adopted father on earth, can do.'
'You only love me out of duty. It must be that, because I'm not a bit nice; so probably my Father in heaven gave me up long ago!'
'Agatha, my darling, do you not know better than that?'