but not quite the thing,” I thought, as I surveyed the effect:  “they want more force and spirit;” and I wrought the shades blacker, that the lights might flash more brilliantly —­ a happy touch or two secured success.  There, I had a friend’s face under my gaze; and what did it signify that those young ladies turned their backs on me?  I looked at it; I smiled at the speaking likeness:  I was absorbed and content.

“Is that a portrait of some one you know?” asked Eliza, who had approached me unnoticed.  I responded that it was merely a fancy head, and hurried it beneath the other sheets.  Of course, I lied:  it was, in fact, a very faithful representation of Mr. Rochester.  But what was that to her, or to any one but myself?  Georgiana also advanced to look.  The other drawings pleased her much, but she called that “an ugly man.”  They both seemed surprised at my skill.  I offered to sketch their portraits; and each, in turn, sat for a pencil outline.  Then Georgiana produced her album.  I promised to contribute a water-colour drawing:  this put her at once into good humour.  She proposed a walk in the grounds.  Before we had been out two hours, we were deep in a confidential conversation:  she had favoured me with a description of the brilliant winter she had spent in London two seasons ago —­ of the admiration she had there excited —­ the attention she had received; and I even got hints of the titled conquest she had made.  In the course of the afternoon and evening these hints were enlarged on:  various soft conversations were reported, and sentimental scenes represented; and, in short, a volume of a novel of fashionable life was that day improvised by her for my benefit.  The communications were renewed from day to day:  they always ran on the same theme —­ herself, her loves, and woes.  It was strange she never once adverted either to her mother’s illness, or her brother’s death, or the present gloomy state of the family prospects.  Her mind seemed wholly taken up with reminiscences of past gaiety, and aspirations after dissipations to come.  She passed about five minutes each day in her mother’s sick-room, and no more.

Eliza still spoke little:  she had evidently no time to talk.  I never saw a busier person than she seemed to be; yet it was difficult to say what she did:  or rather, to discover any result of her diligence.  She had an alarm to call her up early.  I know not how she occupied herself before breakfast, but after that meal she divided her time into regular portions, and each hour had its allotted task.  Three times a day she studied a little book, which I found, on inspection, was a Common Prayer Book.  I asked her once what was the great attraction of that volume, and she said, “the Rubric.”  Three hours she gave to stitching, with gold thread, the border of a square crimson cloth, almost large enough for a carpet.  In answer to my inquiries after the use of this article,