"Tom," she said quietly, so quietly he almost didn't hear her. She was chewing on her lip, nervously tugging on her fingers. "You...you promise you won't leave me here? That you'll come back for me? I know I must sound silly, but...I really don't know what else there is for me. And I'm afraid that Mrs. Cole will not keep me for as long as it takes to figure it out if I'm not to leave with you." It was true, Mrs. Cole's soft spot for the girl had turned cold and bitter after she began consorting regularly with Tom. Guilty by association, it seemed.