Cast adrift Author:Herbert Martin Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: seen nothing of the beginning, of course thought that one to blame who was now in the greatest passion. " Tita, how dare you ? " she cried sharply, and, seizi... more »ng her by the shoulder, shook her with some violence. TITA's FRIEND APPEARS. The child was much too angry to see who had taken hold of her, and struck out with the force of her little fist. Miss Pearce was not used to rebellion, and was quitescandalized. But Mrs. Chichester had some idea of the reason for the scene. She tried soothing instead of scolding, and got out of Tita, through her sobs, what was the beginning of it all, the cruelty to poor little kitty, her own kitty that nobody else cared about. The other girls were cowed by the mistress and the lady's presence into stupid, staring silence. But Tita was past being afraid of any one. Mrs. Chichester sat down and took her on her knee. She said nothing at all till the child had done crying and sobbing, and was quite still and exhausted: only now and then long struggling sobs would keep coming into her throat. She put one hand on the dark curls, and held the little girl's head pressed to her bosom. It was so new, so strange, so sweet to feel her aching temples close against that kind, soft bosom. And the kitten was purring now, underneath her frock. While Tita was growing quiet and peaceable Mrs. Chichester gathered her story with a few questions from the governess, and the meagre, sad little recital touched her to the heart. She sat thoughtfully, and rocked the child to and fro. " And what is to become of her if you don't find out her friends, Miss Pearce ?" she asked so that Tita could not hear the words. " Indeed, ma'am, I don't know," she answered ; " I suppose she will have to go to service like the rest." " But she looks so dif...« less