“If you have finished your breakfast, Miss, I will show you to Mr. Bristed’s room.”

I assured her it was completed, and, following her.  I crossed the hall and entered a door at the left.  A pleasant odor of flowers met my grateful senses.  The room was spacious, wide and deep, and handsomely carpeted.  The walls were ornamented with paintings and engravings.

An ample arm-chair, which the owner had evidently just vacated, and a table containing books and papers, gave a tone of both comfort and elegance to the room, which was decidedly congenial to my taste.

Two great glass doors, reflecting clearly the morning sunbeams, led into a conservatory from whence issued the fragrance I perceived on entering.

Among the flowers moved a tall, manly figure.  As I entered, the gentleman came forward.

“Miss Reef, Mr. Bristed,” said my companion, by way of introduction.

So this was my employer.  As he stood before me, I surveyed him; a well-formed gentleman, above the ordinary height, with pale complexion, set off by dark, penetrative eyes; a shapely head covered with long, heavy masses of straight dark hair.  The impression his appearance conveyed to me was that of a person benevolent but apathetic; unhappy without the will or power to shake off his burden.

He bade me be seated.  “You are young,” said he, reflectively.  “May I ask your age?”

“Seventeen,” I replied.

“Very young,” he reiterated, thoughtfully shaking his head; “however, as you are here, if you wish to remain, Mary will introduce you to your pupil.”

“I certainly wish to remain,” said I, impatiently; “I have journeyed quite a distance for that purpose, and shall be happy to commence the instruction of my pupil immediately.”

“Very well,” said he.  “Mary, take her to the nursery, and attend to any of her wants.”

The girl opened a door adjoining that which we had entered by; a narrow hall and a flight of stairs led us to the room indicated.

A little solitary figure, breathing upon the window-glass, and tracing thereon letters with long, thin fingers, was the first object that presented itself to my eye,

“Here is your governess, Herbert,” said Mary.

The little boy turned and surveyed me with his large, blue, mournful eyes.  They sent a quiver through my frame from their strange resemblance to eyes I had seen but the night before in my dream.

He was apparently satisfied with his inspection, and his thin scarlet lips parted into a smile.

I called him to me.  He came forward timidly.

Taking his small hand, I asked him a few questions about his studies.  I found him intelligent, but grave beyond his years; very docile and obedient, and ere the end of the day we became excellent friends.

CHAPTER III

I had lived six weeks at Bristed Hall, and, excepting on my first arrival, had not interchanged a word with its master.  ’Tis true I would see him at times from the school-room window, walking through his park, or smoking upon the long piazza, but he might have been across the ocean for all the intercourse we had together.