She had n't done anything real wrong ; and everybody was sorry for her and would have helped her all they could . But I reckon pity cut her as deep as blame could have done , and deeper , because you see , Master , she was so proud she could n't bear it . `` They say her father was hard on her , too ; and that was unjust if it was true . Janet and Thomas felt the disgrace , too . The people that had been in the habit of going to the Gordon place soon stopped going , for they could see they were not welcome . `` Old James Gordon died that winter . He never held his head up again after the scandal . He had been an elder in the church , but he handed in his resignation right away and nobody could persuade him to withdraw it . `` Kilmeny was born in the spring , but nobody ever saw her , except the minister who baptized her . She was never taken to church or sent to school . Of course , I suppose there would n't have been any use in her going to school when she could n't speak , and it 's likely Margaret taught her all she could be taught herself . But it was dreadful that she was never taken to church , or let go among the children and young folks . And it was a real shame that nothing was ever done to find out why she could n't talk , or if she could be cured . `` Margaret Gordon died three years ago , and everybody in Lindsay went to the funeral . But they did n't see her . The coffin lid was screwed down . And they did n't see Kilmeny either . I would have loved to see HER for Margaret 's sake , but I did n't want to see poor Margaret . I had never seen her since the night she was a bride , for I had left Lindsay on a visit just after that , and what I came home the scandal had just broken out . I remembered Margaret in all her pride and beauty , and I could n't have borne to look at her dead face and see the awful changes I knew must be there .
`` It was thought perhaps Janet and Thomas would take Kilmeny out XXXXX her mother was gone , but they never did , so I suppose they must have agreed with Margaret about the way she had been brought up .
Of after as because for if in on since that