“I gather from what you said that you are no longer blessed with the presence of the excellent lady, your mother,” presently added Mr. Belamour.

“No, sir.  We lost her seven years ago.”

“And her husband mourns her still.  Well he may.  She was a rare creature.  So she is gone!  I have been so long in seclusion that no doubt time has made no small havoc, and my friends have had many griefs to bewail.”

Aurelia knew not what answer to make, and was relieved when he collected himself and said:—­

“I will trespass no longer on my fair visitor’s complaisance, but if she have not found the gloom of this apartment insupportable, it would be a charitable action to brighten it once more with her presence.”

“O sir, I will come whenever you are pleased to send for me,” she exclaimed, all her doubts, fears, and scruples vanishing at his tone of entreaty.  “My father would be so glad.  I will practise my best song to sing to you to-morrow.”

“My best thanks are yours,” and her hand was taken, she was carefully conducted to the door and dismissed with a gentle pressure of her fingers, and a courteous:  “Goodnight, madam; Au revoir, if I may venture to say so.”

By contrast, the hall looked almost light, and Aurelia could see the skip of joy with which Jumbo hurried to fetch a candle.  As he gave it to her, he made his teeth flash from ear to ear, as he exclaimed:  “Pretty missy bring new life to mas’r!”

Thus did a new element come into Aurelia’s life.  She carefully prepared Harriet’s favourite song, a French romance, but Mr. Belamour did not like it equally well with the Nightingale, which he made her repeat, rewarding her by telling her of the charming looks and manners of her mother, so that she positively enjoyed her visit.  The next night he made inquiries into her walks at Bowstead, asking after the favourite nooks of his childhood, and directing her to the glades where grew the largest dewberries and sweetest blackberries.  This led to her recital of a portion of Midsummer Night’s Dream, for he drew her on with thanks at every pause:  “I have enjoyed no such treat for many years,” he said.

“There are other pieces that I can recite another time,” said Aurelia timidly.

“You will confer a great favour on me,” he answered.

So she refreshed her memory by a mental review of Paradise Lost over her embroidery frame, and was ready with Adam’s morning hymn, which was much relished.  Compliments on her elocution soon were turned by her into the praise of “sister,” and as she became more at ease, the strange man in the dark listened with evident delight to her pretty fresh prattle about sister and brother, and father and home.  Thus it had become a daily custom that she should spend the time between half past seven and nine in the company of the prisoner of darkness, and she was beginning to look forward to it as the event of the day.  She scarcely expected to be sent for on Sunday evening, but Jumbo came as usual with the invitation, and she was far from sorry to quit a worm-eaten Baxter’s Saints’ Rest which she had dutifully borrowed from Mrs. Aylward.