"She
is very good to him, and he is ever so much better in his spirits and
his appetite since she has been coming to him. The young gentleman
was haughty like, and couldn't make nothing of him; but the lady—-
she's so affable! She is one of a thousand!"
"I did not mean to impose a task on you," said Mr. Ogilvie, next time
he could speak to Mrs. Brownlow.
"Oh! I am only acting stop-gap till Armine rallies and takes to it,"
she said. "The boy is delightful. It is very amusing to teach
French to a mind of that age so thoroughly drilled in grammar."
"A capital thing for Percy, but I thought at least you would have
deputed the Infanta."
"The Infanta was a little overdone with the style of thing at
Woodside. She and Sydney Evelyn had a romance about good works, of
which Miss Parsons completely disenchanted her—-rather too much so, I
fear."
"Let her alone; she will recover," said Mr. Ogilvie, "if only by
seeing you do what I never intended."
"I like it, teacher as I am by trade."
So each day Armine imagined himself bound to the infliction of Percy
Stagg, and compelled by headache, cough, or weather, to let his
mother be his substitute.
"She is keeping him going on days when I am not equal to it," he said
to Mr. Ogilvie.
"Having thus given you one of my tasks," said that gentleman, "let me
ask whether I can help you in any of your studies?"
"I have been reading with Bobus, thank you.
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