He
never held up his head again after losing her, and just died of fever
because he was too broken down to have energy to live. There was
enough in this to weave out a tender little romance, probably really
another aspect of the truth, which made Caroline's bright eyes
overflow with tears, when she heard it couched in tenderer language
from Joseph, and the few books and treasures that had been rescued
agreed with it-—a Bible with her father's name, a few devotional
books of her mother's, and Mrs. Hemans's poems with "To Lina, from
her devoted J. A."
Caroline would fain have been called Lina, but the name did not fit
her, and would not _take_.
Colonel Brownlow was altogether very friendly, if rather grave and
dry towards her, as soon as he was convinced that "it was only Joe,"
and that pity, not artfulness, was to blame for the undesirable
match. He was too honourable a man not to see that it could not be
given up, and he held that the best must now be made of it, and that
it would be more proper, since it was to be, for him to assume the
part of father, and let the marriage take place from his house at
Kenminster. This was a proposal for which it was hard to be as
grateful as it deserved; since it had been planned to walk quietly
into the parish church, be married "without any fuss," and then to
take the fortnight's holiday, which was all that the doctor allowed
himself.
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