Instead, they saw Madame Everaert, her round face flushed with walking and her hands full of flowers.
"For mademoiselle," she said, laying them down on the table, and nodding and smiling good humouredly.

"I have been to Rosendahl to see my goddaughter there, and she has a magnificent garden, so I brought a few flowers for mademoiselle." Lucia thanked her, and admired the flowers, and she went away without suspecting the fright her visit had caused.
"Get your desk, Lucia," Mrs.Costello said, gasping for breath, and almost exhausted by the terrible beating of her heart, "and write a note for me." The desk was brought and opened.
"Is it to Maurice ?" Lucia asked.
"Yes.

Say that we are in great need of a friend." Lucia began.

She found it much more difficult than she had done the other night, when she wrote those few impetuous lines which had been afterwards torn up.
"Dear Maurice," she said, "mamma tells me to write to you, and say that something has happened which has frightened her very much, and that we are in great need of a friend.

Will you keep your promise, and come to us ?" This was what she showed to her mother.