"What has she said to you?" she asked quickly, frowning up at him and drawing back as though she were afraid of him.He was startled at the change in her.
"Said?" he repeated, stammering a little."Why only...Nothing...except that she cared for you and hoped that you would be happy.She was afraid that it would all be strange for you at first...Perhaps I have been interfering...""No," Maggie interrupted quickly."Not you.Only I must lead my own life.I must, mustn't I? I don't want to be selfish, but I can begin for myself now.I have a little money of my own--and I MUST make my own way.I don't want to be selfish," she repeated, "but I must be free.I don't understand Aunt Anne.She never seems to care for me.
I want to do everything for her I can, but I don't want to be under any one ever any more."She was so young when she said this that he was suddenly moved to an affectionate fatherly tenderness--but he knew her now too well to show it.
"No, you mustn't be selfish," he answered her almost drily."We can't lead our lives quite alone, you know--every step we take we affect some one somewhere.Your aunt doesn't want your liberty--she wants your affection.""She wants to make me religious," Maggie brought out, staring at Mr.
Magnus.
"Ah, if you see that, you don't understand her," he answered."How should you--yet? She cares so deeply for her religion that she wishes naturally any one whom she loves to share it with her.But if you don't--""If you don't?" cried Maggie, springing up from her seat and facing him.
"I'm sure she would wish to influence no one," he continued gravely.
"You've seen for yourself how apart her life is.She is too conscious of the necessity for her own liberty--""It isn't liberty, it's slavery," Maggie caught him up passionately.
"Do you suppose I haven't watched all these weeks? What does her religion do but shut her off from everything and everybody? Is she kind to Aunt Elizabeth? No, she isn't, and you know it.Would she care if we were all of us buried in the ruins of this house to-morrow? Not for a single moment.And it's her religion.I hate religion.I hate it!...and since I've been in this house I've hated it more and more.You don't know what it was like with father.