Of his intention respecting the girls the squire had never spoken a word to the mother.

And in this way they had lived and were living at Allington.
The life which Mrs Dale led was not altogether an easy life,--was not devoid of much painful effort on her part.

The theory of her life one may say was this--that she should bury herself in order that her daughters might live well above ground.

And in order to carry out this theory, it was necessary that she should abstain from all complaint or show of uneasiness before her girls.

Their life above ground would not be well if they understood that their mother, in this underground life of hers, was enduring any sacrifice on their behalf.