My own Child Author:Florence Marryat 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: CHAPTER III. MY FIRST LOVE-LETTER. There was no light in the dingy little drawing-room, and I dared to hope that Aunt Tessie had not yet come home. But I w... more »as mistaken. As I stumbled over the fluffy mat, that lay at the open window, her thin voice rang sharply on my ear, and I knew she was not in the best of tempers. " What are you knocking over now, Katherine ? You'll have that table down in another minute. Where have you been ? Why are you so late? It's nearly eight o'clock." " You said I might go for a walk," I answered, somewhat sulkily. The changeof atmosphere was too sudden for my moral constitution. " I said you might go for a walk, but I did not say you might stay out till after dark. It's not fit that young ladies should go rambling about the fields by themselves at such an hour. It is most indecorous. You are old enough to know better." The injustice of the charge made me imprudent. " I have not been alone," I answered rashly. " Not alone ! With whom have you been ? " " Hugh Power." "Hugh Power !—that lad who is studying with the rector ? And pray who gave Master Power permission to walk about with a niece of mine ? I shall speak to Mr. Dean about it. I consider it is a great liberty on his part." " It was not a liberty," I returned hotly;" and Hugh is not Master Power. He was twenty-one last month, and has come into his property." "HugA, indeed!" cried Aunt Tessie, with uplifted hands. " What next I wonder ! I tell you, Katherine, that in my day such a thing would never have been permitted as for a young lady to ramble promiscuously with an idle lad. But I shall soon see a stop put to it. You have had your last walk with Master Hugh Power, or any other Master, for a long time to come." " I am not so sure of that, Aunt Tessie," I ...« less