"Like! yes; but much more, much better," said Mary, eagerly.
"Ah, do you remember when you told me coming to her was an
experiment, and you thought it might be better for the old friendship
if you did not accept the situation?"
"You triumph at last, David; but I can confess now that for the first
four years I held to that opinion, and felt that my poor Carey and I
could have loved each other better if our relative situations had
been different, and we had not seen so much of one another. My life
used to seem to me half-unspoken remonstrance, half-truckling
compliance, and nothing but our mutual loyalty to old times, and dear
little Babie's affection, could have borne us through."
"And her extraordinary sweetness and humility, Mary."
"Yes, I allow that. Very few employers would have treated me as she
did, knowing how I regretted much that went on in her household.
However, when I met her at Pontresina, after the boys' terrible
adventure in Switzerland, there was an indefinable change. I cannot
tell whether it is owing to the constant being with such a boy as
Armine, while he was for more than a year between life and death, or
whether it was from the influence of living with Mrs. Evelyn; but she
has certainly ever since had the one thing that was wanting to all
her sweetness and charm.
Pages:
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501