And now I will say
good-bye."
In the shop Miss Rutherford renewed to the chemist her sincere
regret for what had taken place.
"Of course I cannot risk the recurrence of such a thing," she said.
"The child who did it will not return to me, Mr. Smales."
Mr. Smales uttered incoherent excuses, apologies, and thanks, and
shufflingly escorted the lady to his shop-door.
Miss Rutherford went home in trouble. She did not doubt the truth of
what Harriet Smales had told her, for she herself had already
entertained uneasy suspicions, dating indeed from the one interview
she had had with Mrs. Starr, when Ida was first brought to the
school, and deriving confirmation from a chance meeting in the
street only a few days ago. It was only too plain what she must do,
and the necessity grieved her. Ida had not shown any especial
brilliancy at her books, but the child's character was a remarkable
one, and displayed a strength which might eventually operate either
for good or for evil. With careful training, it seemed at present
very probable that the good would predominate. But the task was not
such as the schoolmistress felt able to undertake, bearing in mind
the necessity of an irreproachable character for her school if it
were to be kept together at all.
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