Whenyoufirstknewhim？Whenhismotherwasalive？’MollyhadgrownveryfondofAimé；e：whenthelatterwasathercaseshehadverycharmingandattachingways；butfeelinguneasyinherpositioninthesquire’shouse，shewasalmostrepellenttohim；andhe，too，putonhisworstsidetoher。Rogerwasmostanxioustobringthemtogether，andhadseveralconsultationswithMollyastothebestmeansofaccomplishingthisend。Aslongastheytalkeduponthissubjectshespoketohiminthequietsensiblemannerwhichsheinheritedfromherfather；butwhentheirdiscussionsonthispointwereended，shefellbackintoherpiquantassumptionofdignifiedreserve。Itwasverydifficulttohertomaintainthisstrangemanner，especiallywhenonceortwiceshefanciedthatitgavehimpain；andshewouldgointoherownroomandsuddenlyburstintotearsontheseoccasions，andwishthathervisitwasended，andthatshewasonceagainintheeventlesstranquillityofherownhome。Yetpresentlyherfancychanged，andsheclungtotheswiftlypassinghours，asifshewouldstillretainthehappinessofeach。For，unknowntoher，Rogerwasexertinghimselftomakehervisitpleasant。Hewasnotwillingtoappearastheinstigatorofallthelittleplansforeachday，forhefeltasifsomehowhedidnotholdthesameplaceinherregardasformerly。Still，onedayAimé；esuggestedanuttingexpedition—anotherdaytheygavelittleRogertheunheard—ofpleasureofteaout—of—doors—therewassomethingelseagreeableforathird；anditwasRogerwhoarrangedallthesesimplepleasures—suchasheknewMollywouldenjoy。ButtoherheonlyappearedasthereadyforwarderofAimé；e’sdevices。Theweekwasnearlygone，whenonemorningthesquirefoundRogersittingintheoldlibrary—withabookbeforehim，itistrue，butsodeepinthoughtthathewasevidentlystartledbyhisfather’sunexpectedentrance。’IthoughtIshouldfindtheehere，mylad！We’llhavetheoldroomdoneupagainbeforewinter；itsmellsmustyenough，andyetIseeit’stheplaceforthee！Iwanttheetogowithmeroundthefive—acre。I’mthinkingoflayingitdowningrass。It’stimeforyoutobegettingintothefreshair，youlookquitewoebegoneoverbooks，books，books；thereneverwasathinglike’emforstealingaman’shealthoutofhim！’SoRogerwentoutwithhisfather，withoutsayingmanywordstilltheywereatsomedistancefromthehouse。Thenhebroughtoutasentencewithsuchabruptnessthatherepaidhisfatherforthestartthelatterhadgivenhimaquarterofanhourbefore。’Father，yourememberI’mgoingoutagaintotheCapenextmonth！Youspokeofdoingupthelibrary。Ifitisforme，Ishallbeawayallthewinter。’’Can’tyougetoffit？’pleadedhisfather。’Ithoughtmaybeyou’dforgottenallaboutit—’’Notlikely！’saidRoger，half—smiling。’Well，buttheymighthavefoundanothermantofinishupyourwork。’’Noonecanfinishitbutmyself。Besides，anengagementisanengagement。
　　WhenIwrotetoLordHollingfordtotellhimImustcomehome，Ipromisedtogooutagainforanothersixmonths。’’Ay。Iknow。Andperhapsitwillputitoutofthymind。Itwillalwaysbehardonmetopartfromthee。ButIdaresayit’sbestforyou。’Roger’scolourdeepened。’Youarealludingto—toMissKirkpatrick—MrsHenderson，Imean。Father，letmetellyouonceforallIthinkthatwasratherahastyaffair。Iamprettysurenowthatwewerenotsuitedtoeachother。IwaswretchedwhenIgotherletter—attheCapeImean—
　　butIbelieveitwasforthebest。’’That’sright。That’smyownboy，’saidthesquire，turningroundandshakinghandswithhissonwithvehemence。’AndnowI’lltellyouwhatIheardtheotherday，whenIwasatthemagistrates’meeting。TheywereallsayingshehadjiltedPreston。’’Idon’twanttohearanythingagainsther：shemayhaveherfaults，butIcanneverforgethowIoncelovedher。’’Well，well！Perhapsit’sright。Iwasnotsobadaboutit，wasI，Roger？
　　PoorOsborneneednotha’beensosecretwithme。IaskedyourMissCynthiaouthere—andhermotherandall—mybarkisworsethanmybite。ForifIhadawishonearthitwastoseeOsbornemarriedasbefittedoneofanoldstock，andhewentandchoseoutthisFrenchgirl，ofnofamilyatall，onlya——’’Nevermindwhatshewas；lookatwhatsheis！Iwonderyouarenotmoretakenwithherhumilityandsweetness，father！’’Idon’tevencallherpretty，’saidthesquire，uneasily，forhedreadedarepetitionoftheargumentswhichRogerhadoftenusedtomakehimgiveAimé；eherproperdueofaffectionandposition。’NowyourMissCynthiawaspretty，Iwillsaythatforher，thebaggage！andtothinkthatwhenyoutwoladsflewrightinyourfather’sface，andpickedoutgirlsbelowyouinrankandfamily，youshouldneitherofyouhavesetyourfanciesonmylittleMollythere。IdaresayIshouldha’beenangryenoughatthetime，butthelassiewouldha’foundherwaytomyheart，asneverthisFrenchlady，nort’otherone，couldha’done。’Rogerdidnotanswer。’Idon’tseewhyyoumightnotputupforherstill。I’mhumbleenoughnow，andyou’renotheirasOsbornewaswhomarriedaservant—maid。Don’tyouthinkyoucouldturnyourthoughtsuponMollyGibson，Roger。’’No！’saidRoger，shortly。’It’stoolate—toolate。Don’tletustalkanymoreofmymarrying。Isnotthisthefive—acrefield？’Andsoonhewasdiscussingtherelativevaluesofmeadow，arableandpasturelandwithhisfather，asheartilyasifhehadneverknownMolly，orlovedCynthia。
　　Butthesquirewasnotinsuchgoodspirits，andwentbutheavilyintothediscussion。Attheendofithesaidà；proposdebottes，—’Butdon’tyouthinkyoucouldlikeherifyoutried，Roger？’Rogerknewperfectlywelltowhathisfatherwasalluding，butforaninstanthewasonthepointofpretendingtomisunderstand。Atlength，however，hesaid，inalowvoice，—’Ishallnevertry，father。Don’tletustalkanymoreaboutit。AsIsaidbefore，itistoolate。’Thesquirewaslikeachildtowhomsometoyhasbeenrefused；fromtimetotimethethoughtofhisdisappointmentinthismatterrecurredtohismind；andthenhetooktoblamingCynthiaastheprimarycauseofRoger’spresentindifferencetowomankind。ItsohappenedthatonMolly’slastmorningattheHall，shereceivedherfirstletterfromCynthia—MrsHenderson。Itwasjustbeforebreakfast—time：
　　Rogerwasoutofdoors，Aimé；ehadnotasyetcomedown；Mollywasaloneinthedining—room，wherethetablewasalreadylaid。Shehadjustfinishedreadingherletterwhenthesquirecamein，andsheimmediatelyandjoyfullytoldhimwhatthemorninghadbroughttoher。Butwhenshesawthesquire’sfaceshecouldhavebittenhertongueoutforhavingnamedCynthia’snametohim。Helookedvexedanddepressed。’IwishImightneverhearofheragain。Ido。She’sbeenthebaneofmyRoger，that’swhatshehas。Ihavenotslepthalfthenight，andit’sallherfault。Why，there’smyboysayingnowthathehasnoheartforevermarrying，poorlad！Iwishithadbeenyou，Molly，myladshadtakenafancyfor。ItoldRogersot’otherday，andIsaidthatforallyouwerebeneathwhatIeverthoughttoseethemmarry，—well—it’sofnouse—it’stoolate，now，ashesaid。Onlyneverletmehearthatbaggage’snameagain，that’sall。Andnooffencetoyou，either，lassie。Iknowyoulovethewench；butifyou’lltakeanoldman’sword，you’reworthascoreofher。Iwishyoungmenwouldthinksotoo，’hemutteredashewenttotheside—tabletocarvetheham，whileMollypouredoutthetea—herheartveryhotallthetime，andeffectuallysilencedforaspace。Itwaswiththegreatestdifficultythatshecouldkeeptearsofmortificationfromfalling。Shefeltaltogetherinawrongpositioninthathouse，whichhadbeenlikeahometoheruntilthislastvisit。WhatwithMrsGoodenough’sremarks，andnowthisspeechofthesquire’s，implying—atleasttohersusceptibleimagination—thathisfatherhadproposedherasawifetoRoger，andthatshehadbeenrejected，shewasmoregladthanshecouldexpress，oreventhink，thatshewasgoinghomethisverymorning。Rogercameinfromhiswalkwhileshewasinthisstateoffeeling。HesawinaninstantthatsomethinghaddistressedMolly；andhelongedtohavetheoldfriendlyrightofaskingherwhatitwas。Butshehadeffectuallykepthimattoogreatadistanceduringthelastfewdaysforhimtofeelatlibertytospeaktoherintheoldstraightforwardbrotherlyway；especiallynow，whenheperceivedhereffortstoconcealherfeelings，andthewayinwhichshedrankherteainfeverishhaste，andacceptedbreadonlytocrumbleitaboutherplate，untouched。Itwasallthathecoulddotomaketalkunderthesecircumstances；buthebackeduphereffortsaswellashecoulduntilAimé；ecamedown，graveandanxious；herboyhadnothadagoodnight，anddidnotseemwell；hehadfallenintoafeverishsleepnow，orshecouldnothavelefthim。Immediatelythewholetablewasinaferment。Thesquirepushedawayhisplate，andcouldcatnomore；
　　RogerwastryingtoextractadetailorafactoutofAimé；e，whobegantogivewaytotears。Mollyquicklyproposedthatthecarriage，whichhadbeenorderedtotakeherhomeateleven，shouldcomeroundimmediately—shehadeverythingreadypackedup，shesaid，—andbringbackherfatheratonce。Byleavingdirectly，shesaiditwasprobabletheymightcatchhimafterhehadreturnedfromhismorningvisitsinthetown，andbeforehehadsetoffonhismoredistantround。Herproposalwasagreedto，andshewentupstairstoputonherthings。Shecamedownallreadyintothedrawing—room，expectingtofindAimé；eandthesquirethere；butduringherabsencewordhadbeenbroughttotheanxiousmotherandgrandfatherthatthechildhadwakenedupinapanic，andbothhadrusheduptotheirdarling。ButRogerwasinthedrawing—roomawaitingMolly，withalargebunchofthechoicestflowers。’Look，Molly！’saidhe，asshewasonthepointofleavingtheroomagain，onfindinghimtherealone。’Igatheredtheseflowersforyoubeforebreakfast。’
　　Hecametomeetherreluctantadvance。’Thankyou！’saidshe。’Youareverykind。Iamverymuchobligedtoyou。’’Thenyoumustdosomethingforme，’saidhe，determinednottonoticetherestraintofhermanner，andmakingtherearrangementoftheflowerswhichsheheldasortoflinkbetweenthem，sothatshecouldnotfollowherimpulse，andleavetheroom。—’Tellme，—honestlyasIknowyouwillifyouspeakatall，—havenotIdonesomethingtovexyousinceweweresohappyattheTowerstogether？’Hisvoicewassokindandtrue，—hismannersowinningyetwistful，thatMollywouldhavebeenthankfultotellhimall；shebelievedthathecouldhavehelpedhermorethananyonetounderstandhowsheoughttobehaverightly；hewouldhavedisentangledherfancies，—ifonlyhehimselfhadnotlainattheverycoreandcentreofallherperplexityanddismay。
　　HowcouldshetellhimofMrsGoodenough’swordstroublinghermaidenmodesty？
　　Howcouldsheeverrepeatwhathisfatherhadsaidthatmorning，andassurehimthatshe，nomorethanhe，wishedthattheiroldfriendlinessshouldbetroubledbythethoughtofanearerrelationship？’No，younevervexedmeinmywholelife，Roger，’saidshe，lookingstraightathimforthefirsttimeformanydays。’Ibelieveyou，becauseyousayso。Ihavenorighttoaskfurther。Molly，willyougivemebackoneofthoseflowers，asapledgeofwhatyouhavesaid？’’Takewhicheveryoulike，’saidshe，eagerlyofferinghimthewholenosegaytochoosefrom。’No；youmustchoose，andyoumustgiveitme。’Justthenthesquirecamein。RogerwouldhavebeengladifMollyhadnotgoneonsoeagerlytoransackthebunchforthechoicestflowerinhisfather’spresence；butsheexclaimed，—’Oh，please，MrHamley，doyouknowwhichisRoger’sfavouriteflower？’’No。Arose，Idaresay。Thecarriageisatthedoor，and，Mollymydear，Idon’twanttohurryyou，but——’’Iknow。Here，Roger，—hereisarose！（’Andredasarosewasshe。’）IwillfindpapaassoonaseverIgethome。Howisthelittleboy？’’I’mafraidhe’sbeginningofsomekindofafever。’Andthesquiretookhertothecarriage，talkingallthewayofthelittleboy；Rogerfollowing，andhardlyheedingwhathewasdoingintheanswertothequestionhekeptaskinghimself：’Toolate—ornot？Cansheeverforgetthatmyfirstfoolishlovewasgiventoonesodifferent？’Whileshe，asthecarriagerolledaway，keptsayingtoherself，—’Wearefriendsagain。Idon’tbelievehewillrememberwhatthedearsquiretookitintohisheadtosuggest，formanydays。Itissopleasanttobeontheoldtermsagain；andwhatlovelyflowers！’
　　chapter60CHAPTERLXROGERHAMLEY’SCONFESSIONRogerhadagreatdealtothinkofasheturnedawayfromlookingafterthecarriageaslongasitcouldbeseen。Thedaybefore，hehadbelievedthatMollyhadcometoviewallthesymptomsofhisgrowingloveforher，—symptomswhichhethoughthadbeensopatent，—asdisgustinginconstancytotheinconstantCynthia；thatshehadfeltthatanattachmentwhichcouldbesosoontransferredtoanotherwasnotworthhaving；andthatshehaddesiredtomarkallthisbyherchangedtreatmentofhim，andsotonipitinthebud。Butthismorningheroldsweet，frankmannerhadreturned—intheirlastinterview，atanyrate。Hepuzzledhimselfhardtofindoutwhatcouldhavedistressedheratbreakfast—time。HeevenwentsofarastoaskRobinsonwhetherMissGibsonhadreceivedanylettersthatmorning；
　　andwhenheheardthatshehadhadone，hetriedtobelievethattheletterwasinsomewaythecauseofhersorrow。Sofarsogood。Theywerefriendsagainaftertheirunspokendifference；butthatwasnotenoughforRoger。
　　Hefelteverydaymoreandmorecertainthatshe，andshealone，couldmakehimhappy。Hehadfeltthis，andhadpartlygivenupallhope，whilehisfatherhadbeenurginguponhimtheverycoursehemostdesiredtotake。Noneedfor’trying’toloveher，hesaidtohimself，—thatwasalreadydone。Andyethewasveryjealousonherbehalf。WasthatloveworthyofherwhichhadoncebeengiventoCynthia？Wasnotthisaffairtoomuchamockingmimicryofthelast？AgainjustonthepointofleavingEnglandforaconsiderabletime！Ifhefollowedhernowtoherownhome，—intheverydrawing—roomwherehehadonceofferedtoCynthia！Andthenbyastrongresolvehedeterminedonthiscourse。Theywerefriendsnow，andhekissedtherosethatwasherpledgeoffriendship。IfhewenttoAfrica，heransomedeadlychances；heknewbetterwhattheywerenowthanhehaddonewhenhewentbefore。Untilhisreturnhewouldnotevenattempttowinmoreofherlovethanhealreadyhad。Butoncesafehomeagain，noweakfanciesastowhatmightormightnotbeheranswershouldpreventhisrunningallchancestogainthewomanwhowastohimtheonewhoexcelledall。Hiswasnotthepoorvanitythatthinksmoreofthepossiblemortificationofarefusalthanofthepreciousjewelofabridethatmaybewon。Somehoworanother，pleaseGodtosendhimbacksafe，hewouldputhisfatetothetouch。Andtillthenhewouldbepatient。Hewasnolongeraboytorushatthecovetedobject；hewasamancapableofjudgingandabiding。Mollysentherfather，assoonasshecouldfindhim，totheHall；andthensatedowntotheoldlifeinthehomedrawing—room，whereshemissedCynthia’sbrightpresenceateveryturn。MrsGibsonwasinratheraquerulousmood，whichfasteneditselfupontheinjuryofCynthia’sletterbeingaddressedtoMolly，andnottoherself。’ConsideringallthetroubleIhadwithhertrousseau，Ithinkshemighthavewrittentome。’’Butshedid—herfirstletterwastoyou，mamma，’saidMolly，herrealthoughtsstillintentupontheHall—uponthesickchild—uponRoger，andhisbeggingfortheflower。’Yes，justafirstletter，threepageslong，withanaccountofhercrossing；
　　whiletoyoushecanwriteaboutfashions，andhowthebonnetsareworninParis，andallsortsofinterestingthings。Butpoormothersmustneverexpectconfidentialletters，Ihavefoundthatout。’’Youmayseemyletter，mamma，’saidMolly，’thereisreallynothinginit。’’Andtothinkofherwriting，andcrossingtoyouwhodon’tvalueit，whilemypoorheartisyearningaftermylostchild！Reallylifeissomewhathardtobearattimes。’Thentherewasasilence—forawhile。’Dotellmesomethingaboutyourvisit，Molly。IsRogerveryheartbroken？
　　DoeshetalkmuchaboutCynthia？’’No。Hedoesnotmentionheroften；hardlyever，Ithink。’’Ineverthoughthehadmuchfeeling。Ifhehadhad，hewouldnothavelethergosoeasily。’’Idon’tseehowhecouldhelpit。Whenhecametoseeherafterhisreturn，shewasalreadyengagedtoMrHenderson—hehadconicdownthatveryday，’
　　saidMolly，withperhapsmoreheatthantheoccasionrequired。’Mypoorhead！’saidMrsGibson，puttingherhandsuptoherhead。’Onemayseeyou’vebeenstoppingwithpeopleofrobusthealth，and—excusemysayingit，Molly，ofyourfriends—ofunrefinedhabits，you’vegottotalkinsoloudavoice。Butdoremembermyhead，Molly。SoRogerhasquiteforgottenCynthia，hashe？Oh！whatinconstantcreaturesmenare！
　　Hewillbefallinginlovewithsomegrandeenext，markmywords！Theyaremakingapetandalionofhim，andhe’sjustthekindofweakyoungmantohavehisheadturnedbyitall；andtoproposetosomefineladyofrank，whowouldnomorethinkofmarryinghimthanofmarryingherfootman。’’Idon’tthinkitislikely，’saidMolly，stoutly。’Rogeristoosensibleforanythingofthekind。’’That’sjustthefaultIalwaysfoundwithhim；sensibleandcold—hearted！
　　Now，that’sakindofcharacterwhichmaybeveryvaluable，butwhichrevoltsme。Givemewarmthofheart，evenwithalittleofthatextravaganceoffeelingwhichmisleadsthejudgment，andconductsintoromance。PoorMrKirkpatrick！Thatwasjusthischaracter。Iusedtotellhimthathisloveformewasquiteromantic。IthinkIhavetoldyouabouthiswalkingfivemilesintheraintogetmeamuffinoncewhenIwasill？’’Yes！’saidMolly。’Itwasverykindofhim。’’Soimprudent，too！Justwhatoneofyoursensible，cold—hearted，commonplacepeoplewouldneverhavethoughtofdoing。Withhiscoughandall。’’Ihopehedidn’tsufferforit？’repliedMolly，anxiousatanycosttokeepoffthesubjectoftheHamleys，uponwhichsheandherstepmotheralwaysdisagreed，andonwhichshefounditdifficulttokeephertemper。’Yes，indeed，hedid！Idon’tthinkheevergotoverthecoldhecaughtthatday。Iwishyouhadknownhim，Molly。Isometimeswonderwhatwouldhavehappenedifyouhadbeenmyrealdaughter，andCynthiadearpapa’s，andMrKirkpatrickandyourowndearmotherhadalllived。Peopletalkagooddealaboutnaturalaffinities。Itwouldhavebeenaquestionforaphilosopher。’Shebegantothinkontheimpossibilitiesshehadsuggested。’Iwonderhowthepoorlittleboyis？’saidMolly，afterapause，speakingoutherthoughts。’Poorlittlechild！Whenonethinkshowlittlehisprolongedexistenceistobedesired，onefeelsthathisdeathwouldbeaboon。’’Mamma！whatdoyoumean？’askedMolly，muchshocked。’Whyeveryonecaresforhislifeasthemostpreciousthing！Youhaveneverseenhim！Heisthebonniest，sweetestlittlefellowthatcanbe！Whatdoyoumean？’’Ishouldhavethoughtthatthesquirewouldhavedesiredabetter—bornheirthantheoffspringofaservant，—withallhisideasaboutdescent，andblood，andfamily。AndIshouldhavethoughtthatitwasalittlemortifyingtoRoger—whomustnaturallyhavelookeduponhimselfashisbrother’sheir—tofindalittleinterlopingchild，halfFrench，halfEnglish，steppingintohisshoes！’’Youdon’tknowhowfondtheyareofhim，—thesquirelooksuponhimastheappleofhiseye。’’Molly！Molly！praydon’tletmehearyouusingsuchvulgarexpressions。
　　WhenshallIteachyoutruerefinement—thatrefinementwhichconsistsinnevereventhinkingavulgar，commonplacething？Proverbsandidiomsareneverusedbypeopleofeducation。"Appleofhiseye！"Iamreallyshocked。’’Well，mamma，I’mverysorry；butafterall，whatIwantedtosayasstronglyasIcouldwas，thatthesquirelovesthelittleboyasmuchashisownchild；andthatRoger—oh！whatashametothinkthatRoger——’Andshestoppedsuddenlyshort，asifshewerechoked。’Idon’twonderatyourindignation，mydear！’saidMrsGibson。’ItisjustwhatIshouldhavefeltatyourage。Butonelearnsthebasenessofhumannaturewithadvancingyears。Iwaswrong，though，toundeceiveyousoearly—butdependuponit，thethoughtIalludedtohascrossedRogerHamley’smind！’’Allsortsofthoughtscrossone’smind—itdependsuponwhetheronegivesthemharbourandencouragement，’saidMolly。’Mydear，ifyoumusthavethelastword，don’tletitbeatruism。Butletustalkonsomemoreinterestingsubject。IaskedCynthiatobuymeasilkgowninParis，andIsaidIwouldsendherwordwhatcolourIfixedupon—Ithinkdarkblueisthemostbecomingtomycomplexion；whatdoyousay？’Mollyagreed，soonerthantakethetroubleofthinkingaboutthethingatall；shewasfartoofullofhersilentreviewofallthetraitsinRoger’scharacterwhichhadlatelycomeunderhernotice，andthatgavetheliedirecttoherstepmother’ssupposition。JustthentheyheardMrGibson’sstepdownstairs。Butitwassometimebeforehemadehisentranceintotheroomwheretheyweresitting。’HowislittleRoger？’saidMolly，eagerly。’Beginningwithscarletfever，I’mafraid。It’swellyouleftwhenyoudid，Molly。You’veneverhadit。WemuststopupallintercoursewiththeHallforatime。Ifthere’soneillnessIdread，itisthis。’’Butyougoandcomebacktous，papa。’’Yes。ButIalwaystakeplentyofprecautions。However，noneedtotalkaboutrisksthatlieinthewayofone’sduty。Itisunnecessaryrisksthatwemustavoid。’’Willhehaveitbadly？’askedMolly。’Ican’ttell。Ishalldomybestfortheweeladdie。’WheneverMrGibson’sfeelingsweretouched，hewasapttorecurtothelanguageofhisyouth。Mollyknewnowthathewasmuchinterestedinthecase。Forsomedaystherewasimminentdangertothelittleboy；forsomeweekstherewasamorechronicformofillnesstocontendwith；butwhentheimmediatedangerwasoverandthewarmdailyinterestwaspast，Mollybegantorealizethat，fromthestrictquarantineherfatherevidentlythoughtitnecessarytoestablishbetweenthetwohouses，shewasnotlikelytoseeRogeragainbeforehisdepartureforAfrica。Oh！ifshehadbutmademoreoftheuncared—fordaysthatshehadpassedwithhimattheHall！
　　Worsethanuncaredfor；daysonwhichshehadavoidedhim；refusedtoconversefreelywithhim；givenhimpainbyherchangeofmanner；forshehadreadinhiseyes，heardinhisvoice，thathehadbeenperplexedandpained，andnowherimaginationdweltonandexaggeratedtheexpressionofhistonesandlooks。Oneeveningafterdinner，herfathersaid，—’Asthecountry—peoplesay，I’vedoneastrokeofworkto—day。RogerHamleyandIhavelaidourheadstogether，andwehavemadeaplanbywhichMrsOsborneandherboywillleavetheHall。’’WhatdidIsaytheotherday，Molly？’saidMrsGibson，interrupting，andgivingMollyalookofextremeintelligence。’AndgointolodgingsatJennings’farm；notfourhundredyardsfromthePark—fieldgate，’continuedMrGibson。’Thesquireandhisdaughter—in—lawhavegottobemuchbetterfriendsoverthelittlefellow’ssick—bed；andIthinkheseesnowhowimpossibleitwouldbeforthemothertoleaveherchild，andgoandbehappyinFrance，whichhasbeenthenotionrunninginhisheadallthistime。Tobuyheroff，infact。Butthatonenight，whenIwasveryuncertainwhetherIcouldbringhimthrough，theytooktocryingtogether，andcondolingwitheachother；anditwasjustliketearingdownacurtainthathadbeenbetweenthem；theyhavebeenratherfriendsthanotherwiseeversince。StillRoger’—（Molly’scheeksgrewwarmandhereyessoftandbright；itwassuchapleasuretohearhisname）
　　—’andIbothagreethathismotherknowsmuchbetterhowtomanagetheboythanhisgrandfatherdoes。Isupposethatwastheonegoodthingshegotfromthathardheartedmistressofhers。Shecertainlyhasbeenwelltrainedinthemanagementofchildren。Anditmakesherimpatient，andannoyed，andunhappy，whensheseesthesquiregivingthechildnutsandale，andallsortsofsillyindulgences，andspoilinghimineverypossibleway。Yetshe’sacoward，anddoesn’tspeakouthermind。Nowbybeinginlodgings，andhavingherownservants—niceprettyroomstheyare，too；
　　wewenttoseethem，andMrsJenningspromisestoattendwelltoMrsOsborneHamley，andisverymuchhonoured，andallthatsortofthing—nottenminutes’walkfromtheHall，too，sothatsheandthelittlechapmayeasilygobackwardsandforwardsasoftenastheylike，andyetshemaykeepthecontroloverherchild’sdisciplineanddiet。Inshort，IthinkI’vedoneagoodday’swork，’hecontinued，stretchinghimselfalittle；andthenwithashakerousinghimself，andmakingreadytogooutagain；toseeapatientwhohadsentforhiminhisabsence。’Agoodday’swork！’herepeatedtohimselfasherandownstairs。’Idon’tknowwhenIhavebeensohappy！’ForhehadnottoldMollyallthathadpassedbetweenhimandRoger。RogerhadbegunafreshsubjectofconversationjustasMrGibsonwashasteningawayfromtheHall，aftercompletingthenewarrangementforAimé；eandherchild。’YouknowthatIsetoffnextTuesday，MrGibson，don’tyou？’saidRoger，alittleabruptly。’Tobesure。Ihopeyou’llbeassuccessfulinallyourscientificobjectsasyouwerethelasttime，andhavenosorrowsawaitingyouwhenyoucomeback。’’Thankyou。Yes。Ihopeso。Youdon’tthinkthere’sanydangerofinfectionnow，doyou？’’No！Ifthediseaseweretospreadthroughthehousehold，Ithinkweshouldhavehadsomesignsofitbeforenow。Oneisneversure，remember，withscarletfever。Rogerwassilentforaminuteortwo。’Shouldyoubeafraid，’hesaidatlength，’ofseeingmeatyourhouse？’’Thankyou；butIthinkIwouldratherdeclinethepleasureofyoursocietythereatpresent。It’sonlythreeweeksoramonthsincethechildbegan。