I have written to him,

　　'Hallo!' said my aunt, after a long time.

　　I looked up, and met her sharp bright glance respectfully.

　　'I have written to him,' said my aunt.

　　'To -?'

　　'To your  father-in-law,' said  my aunt.   'I have  sent him  a letter that I'll trouble him to attend to, or he and I will fall out, I can tell him!'

　　'Does he know where I am, aunt?' I inquired, alarmed.

　　'I have told him,' said my aunt, with a nod.

　　'Shall I - be - given up to him?' I faltered.

　　'I don't know,' said my aunt.  'We shall see.'

　　'Oh! I can't think what I shall do,'  I exclaimed, 'if I have to go back  to Mr. Murdstone!'

　　'I don't know anything about it,' said my aunt, shaking her head. 'I can't  say, I am sure.  We shall see.'

　　My spirits  sank under  these words,  and I  became very  downcast and  heavy of heart.  My  aunt, without  appearing to  take much  heed of  me, put on a coarse apron with a bib, which  she took out of the  press; washed up the teacups  with her own hands; and,  when everything was washed  and set in the  tray again, and the cloth folded and put on the top  of the whole, rang for Janet to remove  it. She next swept up the  crumbs with a little broom  (putting on a pair of  gloves first), until  there did  not appear  to be  one microscopic  speck left  on the carpet; next dusted and  arranged the room, which  was dusted and arranged  to a hair'sbreadth already. When all these tasks were performed to her  satisfaction, she took off the  gloves and apron, folded  them up, put them  in the particular corner of the press from which they had been taken, brought out her work-box  to her own table in the open window,  and sat down, with the green fan  between her and the light, to work.