But it was not a servant, as she had supposed; it was Joan, with a bundle upon her arm.
"You are going away, Joan?" she said. "To-night?"
"Ay," Joan answered, as she came and stood upon the hearth. "I'm goin' away to-neet."
"You have quite made up your mind?"
"Ay," said Joan. "I mun break loose. I want to get as far fro' th' owd life as I con. I'd loike to forget th' most on it. I'm goin' to-neet, because I dunnot want to be axed questions. If I passed thro' th' town by day-leet, theer's them as ud fret me wi' their talk."
"Have you seen Mr. Grace?" Anice asked.
"No. I shanna ha' th' chance to say good-bye to him. I coom partly to ax yo' to say it fur me."
"Yes, I will say it. I wish there were no need that I should, though. I wish I could keep you."
There was a brief silence. Joan knelt on one knee by the fender.
"I ha' bin thinkin' o' Liz," she said. "I thowt I'd ax yo'—if it wur to happen so as she'd drift back here agen while I wur away—as yo'd say a kind word to her, an' tell her about th' choild, an' how as I nivver thowt hard on her, an' as th' day nivver wur as I did na pity her fro' th' bottom o' my soul. I'm goin' toward th' south," she said again after a while. "They say as th' south is as different fro' th' north as th' day is fro' the neet. I ha' money enow to help me on, an' when I stop I shall look fur work."
Anice's face lighted up suddenly.
"To the south!" she said. "Why did I not think of that before. If you go toward the south, there is Ashley-Wold and grandmamma, Mrs. Galloway. I will write to her now, if you will let me," rising to her feet.
