THE FIGHTING SHEPHERDESS
her face searchingly, then she crossed the room swiftly and dropped upon her knees beside her. Taking one of her thin hands between both of hers she said, pleadingly:
" You will be my friend, won't you? You won't go back on me, will you? " She could scarcely have begged for her life with more earnestness.
" I am very fond of you," Mrs. Toomey evaded. She did not look at her.
Kate regarded her steadily. Laying down the hand she had taken she asked quiedy :
“ Will you tell me something truthfully, Mrs. Toomey? "
Mrs. Toomey's mind, ratlike, scuttled hither and thither, wondering what was coming.
" If I can," uneasily.
Kate laid her hand upon the older woman's shoulder and searched her face :
" Is my friendship an embarrassment to you ? "
Mrs. Toomey squirmed.
"Tell mel The truth 1 You owe that to me!" Kate cried fiercely, her grip tightening on the woman's shoulder.
As Mrs. Toomey was a coward, so was she a petty liar by instinct. Her first impulse when in an uncom- fortable position was to extricate herself by any plausible lie that occurred to her. But Kate's voice and manner were too compelling, her eyes too penetrating, to admit of falsifying or even evading further. Then, too, she had a wild panicky feeling that she might as well tell the truth and have it over — though it was the last thing in the world she had contemplated doing.
" It is — rather."
" Why ? " Her voice sounded guttural.
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