Asourmutualhappiness（i。e。，Diana’s，Mary’s，andmine）settledintoaquietercharacter，andweresumedourusualhabitsandregularstudies，St。Johnstayedmoreathome:hesatwithusinthesameroom，sometimesforhourstogether。WhileMarydrew，Dianapursuedacourseofencyclopaedicreadingshehad（tomyaweandamazement）undertaken，andIfaggedawayatGerman，heponderedamysticloreofhisown:thatofsomeEasterntongue，theacquisitionofwhichhethoughtnecessarytohisplans。
Thusengaged，heappeared，sittinginhisownrecess，quietandabsorbedenough;butthatblueeyeofhishadahabitofleavingtheoutlandish—lookinggrammar，andwanderingover，andsometimesfixinguponus，hisfellow—students，withacuriousintensityofobservation:ifcaught，itwouldbeinstantlywithdrawn;yeteverandanon，itreturnedsearchinglytoourtable。Iwonderedwhatitmeant:Iwondered，too，atthepunctualsatisfactionheneverfailedtoexhibitonanoccasionthatseemedtomeofsmallmoment，namely，myweeklyvisittoMortonschool;andstillmorewasIpuzzledwhen，ifthedaywasunfavourable，iftherewassnow，orrain，orhighwind，andhissistersurgedmenottogo，hewouldinvariablymakelightoftheirsolicitude，andencouragemetoaccomplishthetaskwithoutregardtotheelements。
“Janeisnotsuchaweaklingasyouwouldmakeher，”hewouldsay:“shecanbearamountainblast，orashower，orafewflakesofsnow，aswellasanyofus。Herconstitutionisbothsoundandelastic;—bettercalculatedtoendurevariationsofclimatethanmanymorerobust。”
AndwhenIreturned，sometimesagooddealtired，andnotalittleweather—beaten，Ineverdaredcomplain，becauseIsawthattomurmurwouldbetovexhim:onalloccasionsfortitudepleasedhim;thereversewasaspecialannoyance。
Oneafternoon，however，Igotleavetostayathome，becauseIreallyhadacold。HissistersweregonetoMortoninmystead:IsatreadingSchiller;he，decipheringhiscrabbedOrientalscrolls。AsIexchangedatranslationforanexercise，Ihappenedtolookhisway:thereIfoundmyselfundertheinfluenceoftheever—watchfulblueeye。Howlongithadbeensearchingmethroughandthrough，andoverandover，Icannottell:sokeenwasit，andyetsocold，Ifeltforthemomentsuperstitious—asifIweresittingintheroomwithsomethinguncanny。