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　　nottowardshim，buttowardsthedeadson，whomasyetshebelievedtobeherlivinghusband。Sheknewshewasactingindefianceofhisexpressedwish；buthehadneverdismayedherwithanyexpressionofhisownfearsabouthishealth；andshe，brightwithlife，hadnevercontemplateddeathcomingtofetchawayonesobeloved。Hewasill—veryill，theletterfromthestrangegirlsaidthat；butAim&eacute；ehadnursedherparents，andknewwhatillnesswas。TheFrenchdoctorhadpraisedherskillandneat—handednessasanurse，andevenifshehadbeentheclumsiestofwomen，washenotherhusband—herall？Andwasshenothiswife，whoseplacewasbyhispillow？Sowithoutevenasmuchreasoningashasbeenheregiven，Aim&eacute；emadeherpreparations，swallowingdownthetearsthatwouldoverflowhereyes，anddropintothelittletrunkshewaspackingsoneatly。

　　Andbyherside，ontheground，satethechild，nownearlytwoyearsold；

　　andforhimAim&eacute；ehadalwaysasmileandacheerfulword。Herservantlovedherandtrustedher；andthewomanwasofanagetohavehadexperienceofhumankind。Aim&eacute；ehadtoldherthatherhusbandwasill，andtheservanthadknownenoughofthehouseholdhistorytoknowthatasyetAim&eacute；ewasnothisacknowledgedwife。Butshesympathizedwiththepromptdecisionofhermistresstogotohimdirectly，whereverhewas，Cautioncomesfromeducationofonekindoranother，andAim&eacute；ewasnotdismayedbywarnings；onlythewomanpleadedhardforthechildtobeleft。’Hewassuchcompany，’shesaid；’andhewouldsotirehismotherinherjourneying；

　　andmaybehisfatherwouldbetooilltoseehim。’TowhichAim&eacute；ereplied，’Goodcompanyforyou，butbetterforme。Awomanisnevertiredwithcarryingherownchild’（whichwasnottrue；buttherewassufficienttruthinittomakeitbebelievedbybothmistressandservant），’andifMonsieurcouldcareforanything，hewouldrejoicetohearthebabbleofhislittleson。’SoAim&eacute；ecaughttheeveningcoachtoLondonatthenearestcross—road，Marthastandingbyaschaperonandfriendtoseeheroff，andhandingherinthelargelustychild，alreadycrowingwithdelightatthesightofthehorses。Therewasa’lingerie’

　　shop，keptbyaFrenchwoman，whoseacquaintanceAim&eacute；ehadmadeinthedayswhenshewasaLondonnursemaid，andthithershebetookherself，ratherthantoanhotel，tospendthefewnight—hoursthatintervenedbeforetheBirminghamcoachstartedatearlymorning。Shesleptorwatchedonasofaintheparlour，forspare—bedtherewasnone；butMadamePaulinecameinbetimeswithagoodcupofcoffeeforthemother，andof’soupeblanche’fortheboy；andtheywentoffagainintothewideworld，onlythinkingof，onlyseekingthe’him，’whowaseverythinghumantoboth。

　　Aim&eacute；erememberedthesoundofthenameofthevillagewhereOsbornehadoftentoldherthathealightedfromthecoachtowalkhome；andthoughshecouldneverhavespeltthestrangeuncouthword，yetshespokeitwithprettyslowdistinctnesstotheguard，askinghiminherbrokenEnglishwhentheyshouldarrivethere？Nottillfouro’clock。Alas！andwhatmighthappenbeforethen！Oncewithhimsheshouldhavenofear；shewassurethatshecouldbringhimround；butwhatmightnothappenbeforehewasinhertendercare？Shewasaverycapablepersoninmanyways，thoughsochildishandinnocentinothers。ShemadeuphermindtothecoursesheshouldpursuewhenthecoachsetherdownatFeversham。Sheaskedforamantocarryhertrunk，andshowherthewaytoHamleyHall。’HamleyHall！’saidtheinnkeeper。’Eh！there’sadealoftroubletherejustnow。’’Iknow，Iknow，’saidshe，hasteningoffafterthewheelbarrowinwhichhertrunkwasgoing，andbreathlesslystrugglingtokeepupwithit，herheavychildasleepinherarms。Herpulsesbeatalloverherbody；shecouldhardlyseeoutofhereyes。Toher，aforeigner，thedrawnblindsofthehouse，whenshecameinsightofit，hadnosignificance；shehurried，stumbledon。’Backdoororfront，missus？’askedthebootsfromtheinn。’Themostnearest，’saidshe。Andthefrontdoorwas’themostnearest。’

　　Mollywassittingwiththesquireinthedarkeneddrawing—room，readingouthertranslationsofAim&eacute；e’sletterstoherhusband。Thesquirewasneverwearyofhearingthem；theverysoundofMolly’svoicesoothedandcomfortedhim，itwassosweetandlow。Andhepulledherup，muchasachilddoes，ifonasecondreadingofthesamelettershesubstitutedonewordforanother。Thehousewasverystillthisafternoon，stillasithadbeennowforseveraldays；everyservantinit，howeverneedless，movingaboutontiptoe，speakingbelowthebreath，andshuttingdoorsassoftlyasmightbeThenearestnoiseorstirofactivelifewasthatoftherooksinthetrees，whowerebeginningtheirspringchatterofbusiness。

　　Suddenly，throughthisquiet，therecamearingatthefront—doorbellthatsounded，andwentonsounding，throughthehouse，pulledbyanignorantvigoroushand。Mollystoppedreading；sheandthesquirelookedateachotherinsurpriseddismay。PerhapsathoughtofRoger’ssudden（andimpossible）

　　returnwasinthemindofeach；butneitherspoke。TheyheardRobinsonhurryingtoanswertheunwontedsummons。Theylistened；buttheyheardnomore。Therewaslittlemoretohear。Whentheoldservantopenedthedoor，aladywithachildinherarmsstoodthere。Shegaspedoutherready—preparedEnglishsentence，—’CanIseeMrOsborneHamley？Heisill，Iknow；butIamhiswife。’Robinsonhadbeenawarethattherewassomemystery，longsuspectedbytheservants，andcometolightatlasttothemaster，—hehadguessedthattherewasayoungwomaninthecase；butwhenshestoodtherebeforehim，askingforherdeadhusbandasifhewereliving，anypresenceofmindRobinsonmighthavehadforsookhim；hecouldnottellherthetruth，—hecouldonlyleavethedooropen，andsaytoher，’Waitawhile，I’llcomeback，’andbetakehimselftothedrawing—roomwhereMollywas，heknew。Hewentuptoherinaflutterandahurry，andwhisperedsomethingtoherwhichturnedherwhitewithdismay。’Whatisit？Whatisit？’saidthesquire，tremblingwithexcitement。’Don’tkeepitfromme。Icanbearit。Roger——’Theyboththoughthewasgoingtofaint；hehadrisenupandcomeclosetoMolly；suspensewouldbeworsethananything。’MrsOsborneHamleyishere，’saidMolly。’Iwrotetotellherherhusbandwasveryill，andshehascome。’’Shedoesnotknowwhathashappened，seemingly，’saidRobinson。’Ican’tseeher—Ican’tseeher，’saidthesquire，shrinkingawayintoacorner。’Youwillgo，Molly，won’tyou？You’llgo。’Mollystoodforamomentortwo，irresolute。She，too，shrankfromtheinterview。Robinsonputinhisword，—’Shelooksbutaweaklything，andhascarriedabigbaby，choosehowfar，Ididnotstoptoask。’Atthisinstantthedoorsoftlyopened，andrightintothemidstofthemcamethelittlefigureingrey，lookingreadytofallwiththeweightofherchild。’YouareMolly，’saidshe，notseeingthesquireatonce。’Theladywhowrotetheletter；hespokeofyousometimes。Youwillletmegotohim。’Mollydidnotanswer，exceptthatatsuchmomentstheeyesspeaksolemnlyandcomprehensively。Aim&eacute；ereadtheirmeaning。Allshesaidwas，—’Heisnot—oh，myhusband—myhusband！’Herarmsrelaxed，herfigureswayed，thechildscreamedandheldouthisarmsforhelp。Thathelpwasgivenhimbyhisgrandfather，justbeforeAim&eacute；efellsenselessonthefloor。’Maman，maman！’criedthelittlefellow，nowstrivingandfightingtogetbacktoher，whereshelay；hefoughtsolustilythatthesquirehadtoputhimdown，andhecrawledtothepoorinanimatebody，behindwhichsateMolly，holdingthehead；whilstRobinsonrushedawayforwater，wine，andmorewomankind。’Poorthing，poorthing！’saidthesquire，bendingoverher，andcryingafreshoverhersuffering。’Sheisbutyoung，Molly，andshemustha’lovedhimdearly。’’Tobesure！’saidMolly，quickly。Shewasuntyingthebonnet，andtakingofftheworn，butneatlymendedgloves；therewasthesoftluxuriantblackhair，shadingthepale，innocentface，—thelittlenotable—lookingbrownhands，withthewedding—ringforsoleornament。Thechildclusteredhisfingersroundoneofhers，andnestledupagainstherwithhisplaintivecry，gettingmoreandmoreintoaburstofwailing：’Maman，maman！’Atthegrowingacutenessofhisimploring，herhandmoved，herlipsquivered，consciousnesscamepartiallyback。Shedidnotopenhereyes，butgreatheavytearsstoleoutfrombeneathhereyelashes。Mollyheldherheadagainstherownbreast；andtheytriedtogiveherwine，—whichsheshrankfrom—water，whichshedidnotreject；thatwasall。Atlastshetriedtospeak。

　　’Takemeaway，’shesaid，’intothedark。Leavemealone。’SoMollyandthewomanliftedherupandcarriedheraway，andlaidheronthebed，inthebestbed—chamberinthehouse，anddarkenedthealreadyshadedlight。Shewaslikeanunconsciouscorpseherself，inthatsheofferedneitherassistancenorresistancetoallthattheyweredoing。ButjustbeforeMollywasleavingtheroomtotakeupherwatchoutsidethedoor，shefeltratherthanheardthatAim&eacute；espoketoher。’Food—breadandmilkforbaby。’Butwhentheybroughtherfoodherself，sheonlyshrankawayandturnedherfacetothewallwithoutaword。InthehurrythechildhadbeenleftwithRobinsonandthesquire。Forsomeunknown，butmostfortunatereason，hetookadisliketoRobinson’sredfaceandhoarsevoice，andshowedamostdecidedpreferenceforhisgrandfather。

　　WhenMollycamedownshefoundthesquirefeedingthechild，withmoreofpeaceuponhisfacethantherehadbeenforallthesedays。TheboywaseverynowandthenleavingofftakinghisbreadandmilktoshowhisdisliketoRobinsonbywordandgesture：aproceedingwhichonlyamusedtheoldservant，whileithighlydelightedthemorefavouredsquire。’Sheislyingverystill，butshewillneitherspeaknoreat。Idon’teventhinksheiscrying，’saidMolly，volunteeringthisaccount，forthesquirewasforthemomenttoomuchabsorbedinhisgrandsontoaskmanyquestions。Robinsonputinhisword，—’DickHayward，he’sBootsattheHamleyArms，saysthecoachshecomebystartedatfivethismorningfromLondon，andthepassengerssaidshe’dbeencryingadealontheroad，whenshethoughtfolkswerenotnoticing；andshenevercameintomealswiththerest，butstoppedfeedingherchild。’’She’llbetiredout；wemustletherrest，’saidthesquire。’AndIdobelievethislittlechapisgoingtosleepinmyarms。Godblesshim。’ButMollystoleout，andsentoffaladtoHollingfordwithanotetoherfather。Herhearthadwarmedtowardsthepoorstranger，andshefeltuncertainastowhatoughttobethecoursepursuedinhercase。Shewentupfromtimetotimetolookatthegirl，scarceolderthanherself，wholaytherewithhereyesopen，butasmotionlessasdeath。Shesoftlycoveredherover，andletherfeelthesympatheticpresencefromtimetotime；andthatwasallshewasallowedtodo。Thesquirewascuriouslyabsorbedinthechild；butMolly’ssupremetendernesswasforthemother。

　　Notbutwhatsheadmiredthesturdy，gallant，healthylittlefellow，whoseeverylimb，andsquareinchofclothing，showedthetenderandthriftycarethathadbeentakenofhim。By—and—bythesquiresaidinawhisper，—’SheisnotlikeaFrenchwoman，isshe，Molly？’’Idon’tknow。Idon’tknowwhatFrenchwomenarelike。PeoplesayCynthiaisFrench。’’Andshedidnotlooklikeaservant？Wewon’tspeakofCynthiasinceshe’sservedmyRogerso。Why，Ibegantothink，assoonasIcouldthinkafterthat，howIwouldmakeRogerandherhappy，andhavethemmarriedatonce；andthencamethatletter！Ineverwantedherforadaughter—in—law，notI。Buthedid，itseems；andhewasnotoneforwantingmanythingsforhimself。Butit’sallovernow；onlywewon’ttalkofher；andmaybe，asyousay，shewasmoreFrenchthanEnglish。Thepoorthinglookslikeagentlewoman，Ithink。Ihopeshe’sgotfriendswho’lltakecareofher，—shecan’tbeabovetwenty。Ithoughtshemustbeolderthanmypoorlad！’’She’sagentle，prettycreature，’saidMolly。’But—butIsometimesthinkithaskilledher；shelieslikeonedead。’AndMollycouldnotkeepfromcryingsoftlyatthethought。’Nay，nay！’saidthesquire。’It’snotsoeasytobreakone’sheart。SometimesI’vewisheditwere。Butonehastogoonliving—alltheappointeddays，asitsaysintheBible。’Butwe’lldoourbestforher。We’llnotthinkoflettinghergoawaytillshe’sfittotravel。’Mollywonderedinherheartaboutthisgoingaway，onwhichthesquireseemedfullyresolved。Shewassurethatheintendedtokeepthechild；

　　perhapshehadalegalrighttodoso；—butwouldthemothereverpartfromit？Herfather，however，wouldsolvethedifficulty，—herfather，whomshealwayslookedtoassoclear—seeingandexperienced。Shewatchedandwaitedforhiscoming。TheFebruaryeveningdrewon；thechildlayasleepinthesquire’sarmstillhisgrandfathergrewtired，andlaidhimdownonthesofa：thelargesquare—corneredyellowsofauponwhichMrsHamleyusedtosit，supportedbypillowsinahalf—recliningposition。

　　Sincehertimeithadbeenplacedagainstthewall，andhadservedmerelyasapieceoffurnituretofilluptheroom。Butonceagainahumanfigurewaslyinguponit；alittlehumancreature，likeacherubinsomeoldItalianpicture。Thesquire，rememberedhiswifeasheputthechilddown。HethoughtofherashesaidtoMolly，—’Howpleasedshewouldhavebeen！’ButMollythoughtoftheyoungwidowupstairs。Aim&eacute；ewasher’she’atthefirstmoment。Presently，—

　　butitseemedalonglongtimefirst，—sheheardthequickpromptsounds，whichtoldofherfather’sarrival。Inhecame—totheroomasyetonlylightedbythefitfulblazeofthefire。

　　chapter54CHAPTERLIVMOLLYGIBSON’SWORTHISDISCOVEREDMrGibsoncameinrubbinghishandsafterhisfrostyride。MollyjudgedfromthelookinhiseyethathehadbeenfullyinformedofthepresentstateofthingsattheHallbysomeone。Buthesimplywentuptoandgreetedthesquire，andwaitedtohearwhatwassaidtohim。Thesquirewasfumblingatthetaperonthewriting—table，andbeforeheansweredmuchhelightedit，andsigningtohisfriendtofollowhim，hewentsoftlytothesofaandshowedhimthesleepingchild，takingtheutmostcarenottoarouseitbyflareorsound。’Well！thisisafineyounggentleman，’saidMrGibson，returningtothefirerathersoonerthanthesquireexpected。’Andyou’vegotthemotherhere，Iunderstand。MrsOsborneHamley，aswemustcallher，poorthing！

　　It’sasadcominghometoher。forIhearsheknewnothingofhisdeath。’

　　Hespokewithoutexactlyaddressinganyone，sothateitherMollyorthesquiremightanswerastheyliked。Thesquiresaid，—’Yes！Shehasfeltitaterribleshock。She’supstairsinthebestbedroom。

　　Ishouldlikeyoutoseeher，Gibson，ifshe’llletyou。Wemustdoourdutybyher，formypoorlad’ssake。Iwishhecouldhaveseenhisboylyingthere；Ido。Idaresayitpreyedonhimtohavetokeepitalltohimself。Hemightha’knownme，though。Hemightha’knownmybarkwaswaurthanmybite。It’sallovernow，though；andGodforgivemeifIwastoosharp。I’mpunishednow。’Mollygrewimpatientonthemother’sbehalf。’Papa，Ifeelasifshewasveryill；perhapsworsethanwethink。Willyougoandseeheratonce？’MrGibsonfollowedherupstairs，andthesquirecametoo，thinkingthathewoulddohisdutynow，andevenfeelingsomeself—satisfactionatconqueringhisdesiretostaywiththechild。Theywentintotheroomwhereshehadbeentaken。Shelayquitestillinthesamepositionasatfirst。Hereyeswereopenandtearless，fixedonthewall。MrGibsonspoketoher，butshedidnotanswer；heliftedherhandtofeelherpulse；shenevernoticed。’Bringmesomewineatonce，andordersomebeef—tea，’hesaidtoMolly。Butwhenhetriedtoputthewineintohermouthasshelaythereonherside，shemadenoefforttoreceiveorswallowit，anditranoutuponthepillow。MrGibsonlefttheroomabruptly；Mollychafedthelittleinanimatehand；thesquirestoodbyindumbdismay，touchedinspiteofhimselfbythedeath—in—lifeofonesoyoung，andwhomusthavebeensomuchbeloved。MrGibsoncamebacktwostepsatatime；hewascarryingthehalf—awakenedchildinhisarms。Hedidnotscrupletorousehimintoyetfurtherwakefulness—didnotgrievetohearhimbegintowailandcry。Hiseyeswereonthefigureuponthebed，whichatthatsoundquiveredallthrough；andwhenherchildwaslaidatherback，andbegancaressinglytoscrambleyetcloser，Aim&eacute；eturnedround，andtookhimtoherarms，andlulledhimandsoothedhimwiththesoftwontofmother’slove。Beforeshelostthisfaintconsciousness，whichwashabitorinstinctratherthanthought，MrGibsonspoketoherinFrench。Thechild’sonewordof’maman’hadgivenhimthisclue。Itwasthelanguagesuretobemostintelligibletoherdulledbrain；andasithappened，—onlyMrGibsondidnotthinkofthat—itwasthelanguageinwhichshehadbeencommanded，andhadlearnttoobey。MrGibson’stonguewasalittlestiffatfirst，butby—and—byhespokeitwithallhisoldreadiness。Heextortedfromhershortanswersatfirst，thenlongerones，andfromtimetotimehepliedherwithlittledropsofwine，untilsomefurthernourishmentshouldbeathand。Mollywasstruckbyherfather’slowtonesofcomfortandsympathy，althoughshecouldnotfollowwhatwassaidquicklyenoughtocatchthemeaningofwhatpassed。By—and—by，however，whenherfatherhaddoneallthathecould，andtheywereoncemoredownstairs，hetoldthemmoreaboutherjourneythantheyyetknew。Thehurry，thesenseofactingindefianceofaprohibition，theover—masteringanxiety，thebrokennight，andfatigueofthejourney，hadillpreparedherfortheshockatlast，andMrGibsonwasseriouslyalarmedfortheconsequences。Shehadwanderedstrangelyinherrepliestohim；hadperceivedthatshewaswandering，andhadmadegreateffortstorecallhersenses；butMrGibsonforesawthatsomebodilyillnesswascomingon，andstoppedlatethatnight，arrangingmanythingswithMollyandthesquire。One—theonly—comfortarisingfromherstatewas，theprobabilitythatshewouldbeentirelyunconsciousbythemorrow—thedayofthefuneral。Wornoutbythecontendingemotionsoftheday，thesquireseemednowunabletolookbeyondthewrenchandtrialofthenexttwelvehours。Hesatewithhisheadinhishands，decliningtogotobed，refusingtodwellonthethoughtofhisgrandchild—notthreehoursagosuchadarlinginhiseyes。MrGibsongavesomeinstructionstooneofthemaid—servantsastothewatchshewastokeepbyMrsOsborneHamley，andinsistedonMolly’sgoingtobed。Whenshepleadedtheapparentnecessityofherstayingup，hesaid，—’Now，Molly，lookhowmuchlesstroublethedearoldsquirewouldgiveifhewouldobeyorders。Heisonlyaddingtoanxietybyindulginghimself。

　　Onepardonseverythingtoextremegrief，however。Butyouwillhaveenoughtodotooccupyallyourstrengthfordaystocome；andgotobedyoumustnow。IonlywishIsawmywayasclearlythroughotherthingsasIdotoyournearestduty。IwishI’dneverletRogergowanderingoff；he’llwishittoo，poorfellow！DidItellyouCynthiaisgoingoffinhothastetoheruncleKirkpatrick’s？IsuspectavisittohimwillstandinlieuofgoingouttoRussiaasagoverness。’’Iamsureshewasquiteseriousinwishingforthat。’’Yes，yes！atthetime。I’venodoubtshethoughtshewassincereinintendingtogo。Butthegreatthingwastogetoutoftheunpleasantnessofthepresenttimeandplace；anduncleKirkpatrick’swilldothisaseffectually，andmorepleasantly，thanasituationatNishni—Novgorodinanice—palace。’HehadgivenMolly’sthoughtsaturn，whichwaswhathewantedtodo。MollycouldnothelprememberingMrHenderson；andhisoffer，andalltheconsequenthints；andwondering，andwishing—whatdidshewish？orhadshebeenfallingasleep？Beforeshehadquiteascertainedthispointshewasasleepinreality。Afterthis，longdayspassedoverinamonotonousroundofcare；fornooneseemedtothinkofMolly’sleavingtheHallduringthewoefulillnessthatbefellMrsOsborneHamley。Itwasnotthatherfatherallowedhertotakemuchactivepartinthenursing；thesquiregavehimcarte—blanche，andheengagedtwoefficienthospitalnursestowatchovertheunconsciousAim&eacute；e；butMollywasneededtoreceivethefinerdirectionsastohertreatmentanddiet。Itwasnotthatshewaswantedforthecareofthelittleboy；thesquirewastoojealousofthechild’sexclusiveloveforthat，andoneofthehousemaidswasemployedintheactualphysicalchargeofhim；butheneededsomeonetolistentohisincontinenceoflanguage，bothwhenhispassionateregretforhisdeadsoncameuppermost，andalsowhenhehaddiscoveredsomeextraordinarycharminthatson’schild；andagainwhenhewasoppressedwiththeuncertaintyofAim&eacute；e’slong—continuedillness。MollywasnotsogoodorsobewitchingalistenertoordinaryconversationasCynthia；butwhereherheartwasinterestedhersympathywasdeepandunfailing。InthiscasesheonlywishedthatthesquirecouldreallyfeelthatAim&eacute；ewasnottheencumbrancewhichheevidentlyconsideredhertobe。Notthathewouldhaveacknowledgedthefact，ifithadbeenputbeforehiminplainwords。Hefoughtagainstthedimconsciousnessofwhatwasinhismind；hespokerepeatedlyofpatiencewhennoonebuthimselfwasimpatient；hewouldoftensaythatwhenshegrewbettershemustnotbeallowedtoleavetheHalluntilshewasperfectlystrong，whennoonewasevencontemplatingtheremotestchanceofherleavingherchild，exceptingonlyhimself。Mollyonceortwiceaskedherfatherifshemightnotspeaktothesquire，andrepresentthehardshipofsendingheraway—theimprobabilitythatshewouldconsenttoquitherboy，andsoon；butMrGibsononlyreplied，—’Waitquietly。Timeenoughwhennatureandcircumstancehavehadtheirchance，andhavefailed。’ItwaswellthatMollywassuchafavouritewiththeoldservants；forshehadfrequentlytorestrainandtocontrol。Tobesure，shehadherfather’sauthoritytobackher。andtheywereawarethatwhereherowncomfort，case，orpleasurewasconcernedsheneverinterfered，butsubmittedtotheirwill。Ifthesquirehadknownofthewantofattendancetowhichshesubmittedwiththemostperfectmeekness，asfarassheherselfwastheonlysufferer，hewouldhavegoneintoatoweringrage。ButMollyhardlythoughtofit，soanxiouswasshetodoallshecouldforothersandtorememberthevariouschargeswhichherfathergaveherinhisdailyvisits。

　　Perhapshedidnotspareherenough。shewaswillinganduncomplaining；

　　butonedayafterMrsOsborneHamleyhad’takentheturn，’asthenursescalledit，whenshewaslyingweakasanew—bornbaby，butwithherfacultiesallrestored，andherfevergone，whenspringbudswerebloomingout，andspringbirdssangmerrily，Mollyansweredtoherfather’ssuddenquestioningthatshefeltunaccountablyweary；thatherheadachedheavily，andthatshewasawareofasluggishnessofthoughtwhichitrequiredapainfulefforttoovercome。’Don’tgoon，’saidMrGibson，withaquickpangofanxiety，almostofremorse。’Liedownhere—withyourbacktothelight。I’llcomebackandseeyoubeforeIgo。’Andoffhewentinsearchofthesquire。HehadagoodlongwalkbeforehecameuponMrHamleyinafieldofspringwheat，wherethewomenwereweeding，hislittlegrandsonholdingtohisfingerintheintervalsofshortwalksofinquiryintothedirtiestplaces，whichwasallhissturdylittlelimbscouldmanage。’Well，Gibson，andhowgoesthepatient？Better！Iwishwecouldgetheroutofdoors，suchafinedayasitis。Itwouldmakeherstrongassoonasanything。Iusedtobegmypoorladtocomeoutmore。Maybe，Iworriedhim；buttheairisthefinestthingforstrengtheningthatIknowof，Though，perhaps，she’llnotthriveinEnglishairasifshe’dbeenbornhere；andshe’llnotbequiterighttillshegetsbacktohernativeplace，whereverthatis。’’Idon’tknow。Ibegintothinkweshallgetherquiteroundhere；andIdon’tknowthatshecouldbeinabetterplace。Butitisnotabouther。

　　MayIorderthecarriageformyMolly？’MrGibson’svoicesoundedasifhewaschokingalittleashesaidtheselastwords。’Tobesure，’saidthesquire，settingthechilddown。Hehadbeenholdinghiminhisarmsthelastfewminutes；butnowhewantedallhiseyestolookintoMrGibson’sface。’Isay，’saidhe，catchingholdofMrGibson’sarm，’what’sthematter，man？Don’ttwitchupyourfacelikethat，butspeak！’’Nothing’sthematter，’saidMrGibson，hastily。’OnlyIwantherathome，undermyowneye；’andheturnedawaytogotothehouse，Butthesquirelefthisfieldandhisweeders，andkeptatMrGibson’sside。Hewantedtospeak，buthisheartwassofullhedidnotknowwhattosay。’Isay，Gibson，’hegotoutatlast，’yourMollyislikerachildofminethanastranger；andIreckonwe’veallonusbeencomingtooharduponher。

　　Youdon’tthinkthere’smuchamiss，doyou？’’HowcanItell？’saidMrGibson，almostsavagely。Butanyhastinessoftemperwasinstinctivelyunderstoodbythesquire；andhewasnotoffended，thoughhedidnotspeakagaintilltheyreachedthehouse。Thenhewenttoorderthecarriage，andstoodbysorrowfulenoughwhilethehorseswerebeingputin。HefeltasifheshouldnotknowwhattodowithoutMolly；

　　hehadneverknownhervalue，hethought，tillnow。Buthekeptsilenceonthisviewofthecase；whichwasapraiseworthyeffortonthepartofonewhousuallyletby—standersseeandhearasmuchofhispassingfeelingsasifhehadhadawindowinhisbreast。HestoodbywhileMrGibsonhelpedthefaintly—smiling，tearfulMollyintothecarriage。Thenthesquiremountedonthestepandkissedherhand；butwhenhetriedtothankherandblessher，hebrokedown；andassoonashewasoncemoresafelyonthegroundMrGibsoncriedouttothecoachmantodriveon。AndsoMollyleftHamleyHall。Fromtimetotimeherfatherrodeuptothewindow，andmadesomelittlecheerfulandapparentlycarelessremark。WhentheycamewithintwomilesofHollingfordheputspurstohishorse，androdebrisklypastthecarriagewindows，kissinghishandtotheoccupantashedidso。HewentontoprepareherhomeforMolly：whenshearrivedMrsGibsonwasreadytogreether。MrGibsonhadgivenoneortwoofhisbright，imperativeorders，andMrsGibsonwasfeelingratherlonelywithouteitherofhertwodeargirlsathome，asshephrasedit，toherselfaswellastoothers。’Why，mysweetMolly，thisisanunexpectedpleasure。OnlythismorningIsaidtopapa，\"WhendoyouthinkweshallseeourMollyback？\"Hedidnotsaymuch—heneverdoes，youknow；butIamsurehethoughtdirectlyofgivingmethissurprise，thispleasure。You’relookingalittle—whatshallIcallit？Iremembersuchaprettylineofpoetry，\"Oh，callherfair，notpale！\"—sowe’llcallyoufair。’’You’dbetternotcallheranything，butlethergettoherownroomandhaveagoodrestassoonaspossible。Haven’tyougotatrashynovelortwointhehouse？That’stheliteraturetosendhertosleep。’Hedidnotleavehertillhehadseenherlaidonasofainadarkenedroom，withsomeslightpretenceofreadinginherhand。Thenhecameaway，leadinghiswife，whoturnedroundatthedoortokissherhandtoMolly，andmakealittlefaceofunwillingnesstobedraggedaway。’Now，Hyacinth，’saidhe，ashetookhiswifeintothedrawing—room，’shewillneedmuchcare。Shehasbeenoverworked，andI’vebeenafool。That’sall。Wemustkeepherfromallworryandcare，—butIwon’tanswerforitthatshe’llnothaveanillness，forallthat！’’Poorthing！shedoeslookwornout。Sheissomethinglikeme，herfeelingsaretoomuchforher。Butnowsheiscomehomesheshallfindusascheerfulaspossible。Icananswerformyself；andyoureallymustbrightenupyourdolefulface，mydear—nothingsobadforinvalidsastheappearanceofdepressioninthosearoundthem。IhavehadsuchapleasantletterfromCynthiato—day。UncleKirkpatrickreallyseemstomakesomuchofher，hetreatsherjustlikeadaughter；hehasgivenheratickettotheConcertsofAncientMusic；andMrHendersonhasbeentocallonher，inspiteofallthathasgonebefore。’Foraninstant，MrGibsonthoughtthatitwaseasyenoughforhiswifetobecheerful，withthepleasantthoughtsandevidentanticipationsshehadinhermind，butalittlemoredifficultforhimtoputoffhisdolefullookswhilehisownchildlayinastateofsufferingandillnesswhichmightbetheprecursorofastillworsemalady。Buthewasalwaysamanforimmediateactionassoonashehadresolvedonthecoursetobetaken；