t calm introduction to to pledge, belied on a longer acquaintance s inmates. Mrs. Fairfax turned out to be ured ent education and average intelligence. My pupil imes as sted entirely to my care, and no injudicious interference from any quarter ever ted my plans for , s tle freaks, and became obedient and teac talents, no marked traits of cer, no peculiar development of feeling or taste . Sertained for me a vivacious, t very profound, affection; and by y, gay prattle, and efforts to please, inspired me, in return, tac sufficient to make us botent in eacy.
t cool language by persons ain solemn doctrines about ture of cy of tion to conceive for trous devotion: but I am not ing to flatter parental egotism, to ec, or prop up elling trut a conscientious solicitude for Adèle’s liking for tle self: just as I coy proportionate to tranquil regard sion of er.
Anybody may blame me ook a doo tes and looked toreroom, I climbed taircases, raised trap-door of ttic, and afar over sequestered field and t overpass t limit; tical experience tercourse ance y of cer, t I believed in tence of ot I believed in I wiso behold.
; and I sented. I could not : tlessness ure; it agitated me to pain sometimes. to orey, backude of t, and alloo dainly, to let my be ant movement, in trouble, expanded it of all, to open my ino a tale t ale my imagination created, and narrated continuously; quickened , life, fire, feeling, t I desired and in my actual existence.
It is in vain to say to be satisfied ranquillity: t ion; and t if t find it. Millions are condemned to a stiller doom t revolt against t. Nobody kno in to be very calm generally: but as men feel; ties, and a field for ts, as mucoo rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men is narroures to say t t to confine to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on t is tless to condemn t to do more or learn more tom heir sex.
unfrequently oo, ric murmurs; stranger te silent; but t account for times I saray in o tcly return, generally (oic reader, forgive me for telling trut of porter. ed as a damper to ty raised by ies: ured and staid, s to could attactempts to draion, but s s every effort of t sort.
t people; but in no respect remarkable; o talk Frencimes I asked ions about ive country; but s of a descriptive or narrative turn, and generally gave suced rato chan encourage inquiry.
October, November, December passed aernoon in January, Mrs. Fairfax reminded me o me in my o I did . It ired of sitting still in t ten a letter o be posted, so I put on my bonnet and cloak and volunteered to carry it to ance, t er afternoon ed in tle c o play ory-book for c; and o ?t, ma bonne amie, ma cte,” out.
till, my road till I got o enjoy and analyse tuation. It olled as I passed under ts approaced for s and blackberries in autumn, and even noreasures in er deligs utter solitude and leafless repose. If a breatirred, it made no sound a an evergreen to rustle, and tripped ill as te, ones tle bro leaves t ten to drop.
to doile le about me, and sering my feel t froze keenly; as tested by a s of ice covering ttle brooklet, no I could look dotlemented in ts t. I lingered till t do trees, and sank crimson and clear beurned eastward.
On top above me sat t as a cloud, but brigarily, s in trees, sent up a blue smoke from its fe a mile distant, but in te s too, felt ts; in tell: but tless many becks t evening calm betrayed alike tinkle of t streams, t remote.
A rude noise broke on t once so far aive tramp, tramp, a metallic clatter, ure, t oak, drarong on tance of azure int melts into tint.
t , but it approac leaving tile; yet, as t still to let it go by. In ts of fancies brigenanted my mind: tories oturing youto t cc to appear tain of Bessie’s tales, rased solitary imes came upon belated travellers, as this horse was now coming upon me.
It not yet in sigion to tramp, tramp, I ems glided a great dog, object against trees. It ly one form of Bessie’s Gytrasure passed me, ly enoug staying to look up, range pretercanine eyes, in my face, as I ed it all steed, and on its back a rider. t once. Notras o my notions, t tenant ts, could scarce covet ser in trasraveller taking t cut to Millcote. on; a feeps, and I turned: a sliding sound and an exclamation of “ to do notering tumble, arrested my attention. Man and of ice , and ill tion to ude. rate group, and to me; it raveller, by time struggling eed. s be muc; but I asked ion—
“Are you injured, sir?”
I t am not certain; ed o me directly.
“Can I do anything?” I asked again.
“You must just stand on one side,” to o . I did; tering process, accompanied by a barking and baying ance; but I be driven quite aill I sa. tunate; tablis!” traveller noooping, felt and leg, as if trying ed to tile down.
I least officious, I think, for I now drew near him again.
“If you are , and chornfield hall or from hay.”
“tood up and tried , but t extorted an involuntary “Ugh!”
Somet still lingered, and t: I could see eel clasped; its details apparent, but I traced ts of middle and considerable breadt. ern features and a ed just no reac be ty-five. I felt no fear of little sleman, I s o stand tioning o one. I ical reverence and y, elegance, gallantry, fascination; but ties incarnate in masculine sinctively t tning, or anyt is brig antipatic.
If even tranger o me ance gaily and felt any vocation to rene traveller, set me at my ease: I retained my station o go, and announced—
“I cannot t so late an ary lane, till I see you are fit to mount your horse.”
me wurned ion before.
“I s to be at his neighbourhood: where do you come from?”
“From just belo at all afraid of being out late o post a letter.”
“You live just belo t tlements?” pointing to t a out distinct and pale from t, by contrast ern sky, now seemed one mass of shadow.
“Yes, sir.”
“?”
“Mr. Rocer’s.”
“Do you know Mr. Rocer?”
“No, I have never seen him.”
“ resident, then?”
“No.”
“Can you tell me where he is?”
“I cannot.”
“You are not a servant at topped, ran e simple: a black merino cloak, a black beaver bonnet; neito decide w I was; I helped him.
“I am the governess.”
“Aed; “deuce take me, if I forgotten! t under scrutiny. In tes ile: ried to move.
“I cannot commission you to fetc you may tle yourself, if you will be so kind.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You an umbrella t I can use as a stick?”
“No.”
“try to get o me: you are not afraid?”
I so touc o do it, I o obey. I put doile, and up to tall steed; I endeavoured to catc it ed t let me come near its on effort, time, I ally afraid of its trampling fore-feet. traveller ed and cime, and at last he laughed.
“I see,” ain o aid Ma to go to tain; I must beg of you to come here.”
I came. “Excuse me,” inued: “necessity compels me to make you useful.” ress, limped to tered it directly and sprang to , for it wrenched his sprain.
“No lies the hedge.”
I soug and found it.
“te ter to urn as fast as you can.”
A touc start and rear, and traces; all three vanished,
“Like , in the wilderness,
the wild wind whirls away.”
I took up my muff and
of no moment, no romance, no interest in a sense; yet it marked onous life. My : I o rivial, transitory t an active tence all passive. too, ure introduced to t o all tly, because it rong, and stern. I still before me er into t- office; I sa as I doile, I stopped a minute, looked round and listened, a ring on t a rider in a cloak, and a Gytras be again apparent: I saill and straigo meet test of ful among trees round tant; and raversing t, caug kindling in a reminded me t I e, and I hurried on.
I did not like re-entering to pass its to return to stagnation; to cross t o ascend taircase, to seek my otle room, and to meet tranquil Mrs. Fairfax, and spend ter evening o quell ement o slip again over my faculties tters of an uniform and too still existence; of an existence ing. good it time to ossed in torms of an uncertain struggling life, and to augter experience to long for t ired of sitting still in a “too easy co take a long as natural o stir, under my circumstances, as it would be under his.
I lingered at tes; I lingered on t; tters of t see into terior; and bot seemed dra appeared to me—to t sky expanded before me,—a blue sea absolved from taint of cloud; t in solemn marco look up as s tops, from beo t dark in its fatance; and for trembling stars t folloremble, my veins glole to eartruck in t sufficed; I turned from moon and stars, opened a side-door, and in.
t dark, nor yet lit, only by t and teps of taircase. t dining-room, ood open, and se, glancing on marble ure, in t pleasant radiance. It revealed, too, a group near telpiece: I it, and scarcely become ainguisones of Adèle, whe door closed.
I ened to Mrs. Fairfax’s room; too, but no candle, and no Mrs. Fairfax. Instead, all alone, sitting uprigy at t black and ras t I for” and t up and came to me and snuffed me. I caressed tail; but ure to be alone tell ed, too, to get an account of tant. Leaered.
“ dog is this?”
“er.”
“ith whom?”
“iter—Mr. Rocer— arrived.”
“Indeed! and is Mrs. Fairfax h him?”
“Yes, and Miss Adèle; ter ; his horse fell and his ankle is sprained.”
“Did the horse fall in hay Lane?”
“Yes, coming down- slipped on some ice.”
“Ah! Bring me a candle will you Leah?”
Lea it; sered, follo Mr. Carter ter: t to give orders about tea, and I upstairs to take off my things.