“All I wish you to do is, what you would do if you had a spark of natural feeling.”

“What?” I asked, bewildered at this apparent accusation of unkindness.

“Leave me to myself.  Send me from your door.  Not oppress me with this ridiculous burthensome care and attention, all out of the family pride you still keep up in the Trevors!” she sneered.

“No, Hester.  Sister Hester, will you not believe it is love?” I said, thinking that if she would believe that we loved her and forgave her, it might help her to believe that her Father above did.  I had never called her by her name alone before; but I thought it might draw her nearer; but it made her only fiercer.

“Nonsense,” she said, “I know better.”

And then she fell into the same deadly gloom; but I think she had almost a wild animal’s longing for solitude; for she made a solemn promise not to attempt her life if we would only leave her alone!

And we did, though we took care someone was within hearing; for she was still very weak, and we had not a bell in the house, except a little hand one on the table.

So the Easter holidays drew on, and she was still far too weak and unwell for any thought of moving her; so that we were in trouble about Alured’s holidays, not liking him to come home to a house of illness that would renew his sorrow, and advising him to accept some invitations from his schoolfellows; but he wrote that he particularly wished to come home—­he could not bear to be away, and Maitland wanted to see the place and know all about dear Lea, so might he bring him home?

We were only too glad to consent, and I had gone to sleep with Jaquetta, so as to make room—­feeling very happy over the best school report of our boy we had ever had, though not the best we were to have.

He spent two or three days at Mr. Maitland’s in London, and then he and his friend, John, came on here.

The railway did not come within twenty miles then, and they had to post from it in flies.  How delightful it was to see the tall hat and wide white collar, as he stood up in the open fly, signalling to us, and pointing us out to his friend.  Only, what must it have been to the poor sufferer in the room above?

Oh! did not one’s heart go out in prayer for her!

Out jumped Alured among all of us, and all the dogs at the garden gate; and the first thing, after his kiss to us all, was to turn to the fly and take out a flower-pot with a beautiful delicate forced rose in it.

“Where’s Hester?” he said.

“My dear child, she has not left her room yet.”

“She is well enough for me to take this to her, I suppose?” he said.  “He always did get some flower like this to bring home to her, you know, she liked them so much.”

It was just his one idea that Trevor had told him to take his place to her.  We looked doubtfully at each other, but Fulk quietly said, “Yes, you may go.”  And added, as the boy went off, “It can do no harm to her in the end, poor thing!”