’Why，yousee，mylove，’saidhe，againtakingherhand，’thatyouareinaveryawkwardposition—agirlgrowingupinsuchafamilyasmine—youngmen—whichwasapieceofconfoundedstupidityonmypart。AndIamobligedtobeawaysomuch。’’ButthereisMissEyre，’saidshe，sickwiththestrengtheningindefinitepresageofwhatwastocome。’DearMissEyre，Iwantnothingbutherandyou。’’StilltherearetimeslikethepresentwhenMissEyrecannotbewithyou；
　　herhomeisnotwithus；shehasotherduties。I’vebeeningreatperplexityforsometime；butatlastI’vetakenastepwhichwill，Ihope，makeusbothhappier。’’You’regoingtobemarriedagain，’saidshe，helpinghimout，withaquietdryvoice，andgentlydrawingherhandoutofhis。’Yes。ToMrsKirkpatrick—yourememberher？TheycallherClareattheTowers。Yourecollecthowkindshewastoyouthatdayyouwereleftthere？’Shedidnotanswer。Shecouldnottellwhatwordstouse。Shewasafraidofsayinganything，lestthepassionofanger，dislike，indignation—whateveritwasthatwasboilingupinherbreast—shouldfindventincriesandscreams，orworse，inragingwordsthatcouldneverbeforgotten。Itwasasifthepieceofsolidgroundonwhichshestoodhadbrokenfromtheshore，andshewasdriftingouttotheinfiniteseaalone。MrGibsonsawthathersilencewasunnatural，andhalf—guessedatthecauseofit。Butheknewthatshemusthavetimetoreconcileherselftotheidea，andstillbelievedthatitwouldbeforhereventualhappiness。Hehad，besides，thereliefoffeelingthatthesecretwastold，theconfidencemade，whichhehadbeendreadingforthelasttwenty—fourhours。Hewentonrecapitulatingalltheadvantagesofthemarriage；heknewthemoffbyheartnow。’She’saverysuitableageforme。Idon’tknowhowoldsheisexactly，butshemustbenearlyforty。Ishouldn’thavewishedtomarryanyoneyounger。She’shighlyrespectedbyLordandLadyCumnorandtheirfamily，whichisofitselfacharacter。Shehasveryagreeableandpolishedmanners—ofcourse，fromthecirclesshehasbeenthrowninto—andyouandI
　　，goosey，areapttobealittlebrusque，orso；wemustbrushupourmannersnow。’Noremarkfromheronthislittlebitofplayfulness。Hewenton，—’Shehasbeenaccustomedtohousekeeping—economicalhousekeeping，too—foroflateyearsshehashadaschoolatAshcombe，andhashad，ofcourse，toarrangeallthingsforalargefamily。Andlast，butnotleast，shehasadaughter—aboutyourage，Molly—who，ofcourse，willcomeandlivewithus，andbeanicecompanion—asister—foryou。’Stillshewassilent。Atlengthshesaid，—’SoIwassentoutofthehousethatallthismightbequietlyarrangedinmyabsence？’Outofthebitternessofherheartshespoke，butshewasrousedoutofherassumedimpassivenessbytheeffectproduced。Herfatherstartedup，andquicklylefttheroom，sayingsomethingtohimself—what，shecouldnothear，thoughsheranafterhim，followedhimthroughdarkstonepassages，intotheglareofthestable—yard，intothestables—’Oh，papa，papa—I’mnotmyself—Idon’tknowwhattosayaboutthishateful—detestable——’Heledhishorseout。Shedidnotknowifhebeardherwords。Justashemounted，heturnedrounduponherwithagreygrimface，—’Ithinkit’sbetterforbothofus，formetogoawaynow。Wemaysaythingsdifficulttoforget。Wearebothmuchagitated。Byto—morrowweshallbemorecomposed；youwillhavethoughtitover，andhaveseenthattheprincipal—onegreatmotive，Imean—wasyourgood。YoumaytellMrsHamley—Imeanttohavetoldhermyself。Iwillcomeagainto—morrow。
　　Good—by，Molly。’Formanyminutesafterhehadriddenaway—longafterthesoundofhishorse’shoofsontheroundstonesofthepavedlane，beyondthehome—meadows，haddiedaway—Mollystoodthere，shadinghereyes，andlookingattheemptyspaceofairinwhichhisformhadlastappeared。Herverybreathseemedsuspended；only，twoorthreetimes，afterlongintervalsshedrewamiserablesigh，whichwascaughtupintoasob。Sheturnedwayatlast，butcouldnotgointothehouse，couldnottellMrsHamley，couldnotforgethowherfatherhadlookedandspoken—andlefther。Shewentoutbyaside—door—itwasthewaybywhichthegardenerspassedwhentheytookthemanureintothegarden—andthewalktowhichitledwasconcealedfromsightasmuchaspossiblebyshrubsandevergreensandover—archingtrees。Noonewouldknowwhatbecameofher，and，withtheingratitudeofmisery，sheaddedtoherself，noonewouldcare。MrsHamleyhadherownhusband，herownchildren，herclosehomeinterests—shewasverygoodandkind，buttherewasabittergriefinMolly’sheart，withwhichthestrangercouldnotintermeddle。Shewentquicklyontothebournewhichshehadfixedforherself—aseatalmostsurroundedbythedroopingleavesofaweeping—ash—aseatonthelongbroadterracewalkontheothersideofthewood，thatoverlookedthepleasantslopeofthemeadowsbeyond；thewalkhadprobablybeenmadetocommandthissunny，peacefullandscape，withtrees，andachurchspire，twoorthreered—tiledroofsofoldcottages，andapurplebitofrisinggroundinthedistance；andatsomepreviousdate，whentheremighthavebeenalargefamilyofHamleysresidingatthehall，ladiesinhoops，andgentlemeninbag—wigswithswordsbytheirsides，mighthavefilledupthebreadthoftheterrace，astheysauntered，smiling，along。Butnooneevercaredtosauntertherenow。
　　Itwasadesertedwalk。Thesquireorhissonsmightcrossitinpassingtoalittlegatethatledtothemeadowbeyond；butnooneloiteredthere。
　　Mollyalmostthoughtthatnooneknewofthehiddenseatundertheash—treebutherself；fortherewerenotmoregardenersemployeduponthegroundsthanwerenecessarytokeepthekitchen—gardensandsuchoftheornamentalpartaswasfrequentedbythefamily，orinsightofthehouse，ingoodorder。Whenshehadoncegottotheseatshebrokeoutwithasuppressedpassionofgrief；shedidnotcardtoanalyzethesourcesofhertearsandsobs—herfatherwasgoingtobemarriedagain—herfatherwasangrywithher；shehaddoneverywrong—hehadgoneawaydispleased；shehadlosthislove，hewasgoingtobemarried—awayfromher—awayfromhischild—hislittledaughter—forgettingherowndear，dearmother。Soshethoughtinatumultuouskindofway，sobbingtillshewasweariedout，andhadtogainstrengthbybeingquietforatime，tobreakforthintoherpassionoftearsafresh。Shehadcastherselfontheground—thatnaturalthroneforviolentsorrow—andleantupagainsttheoldmoss—grownseat；sometimesburyingherfaceinherhands；sometimesclaspingthemtogether，asifbythetightpainfulgraspofherfingersshecoulddeadenmentalsuffering。ShedidnotseeRogerHamleyreturningfromthemeadows，norheartheclickofthelittlewhitegate。Hehadbeenoutdredginginpondsandditches，andhadhiswetsling—net，withitsimprisonedtreasuresofnastiness，overhisshoulder。Hewascominghometolunch，havingalwaysafinemiddayappetite，thoughhepretendedtodespisethemealintheory。Butheknewthathismotherlikedhiscompanionshipthen；shedependedmuchuponherluncheon，andwasseldomdownstairsandvisibletoherfamilymuchbeforethetime。Soheovercamehistheory，forthesakeofhismother，andhadhisrewardintheheartyrelishwithwhichhekepthercompanyineating。HedidnotseeMollyashecrossedtheterrace—walkonhiswayhomewards。
　　Hehadgoneabouttwentyyardsonthesmallwood—pathatrightanglestotheterrace，when，lookingamongthegrassandwildplantsunderthetrees，hespiedoutonewhichwasrare，onewhichhehadbeenlongwishingtofindinflower，andsawitatlast，withthosebrightkeeneyesofhis。
　　Downwenthisnet，skilfullytwistedsoastoretainitscontents，whileitlayamidtheherbage，andhehimselfwentwithlightandwell—plantedfootstepsinsearchofthetreasure。Hewassogreataloverofnaturethat，withoutanythought，buthabitually，healwaysavoidedtreadingunnecessarilyonanyplant；whoknewwhatlong—soughtgrowthorinsectmightdevelopitselfinwhatnowappearedbutinsignificant？Hisstepsledhiminthedirectionoftheash—treeseat，muchlessscreenedfromobservationonthissidethanontheterrace。Hestopped；hesawalight—coloureddressontheground—somebodyhalf—lyingontheseat，sostilljustthen，hewonderediftheperson，whoeveritwas，hadfallenillorfainted。Hepausedtowatch。Inaminuteortwothesobsbrokeoutagain—thewords。ItwasMissGibsoncryingoutinabrokenvoice，—’Oh，papa，papa！ifyouwouldbutcomeback！’Foraminuteortwohethoughtitwouldbekindertoleaveherbelievingherselfunobserved；hehadevenmadearetrogradesteportwo，ontip—toe；
　　butthenheheardthemiserablesobbingagain。Itwasfartherthanhismothercouldwalk，orelse，bethesorrowwhatitwould，shewasthenaturalcomforterofthisgirl，hervisitor。However，whetheritwasrightorwrong，delicateorobtrusive，whenheheardthesadvoicetalkingagain，insuchtonesofuncomforted，lonelymisery，heturnedback，andwenttothegreententundertheash—tree。Shestartedupwhenhecamethusclosetoher；
　　shetriedtocheckhersobs，andinstinctivelysmoothedherwettangledhairbackwithherhands。Helookeddownuponherwithgrave，kindsympathy，buthedidnotknowexactlywhattosay。’Isitlunch—time？’saidshe，tryingtobelievethathedidnotseethetracesofhertearsandthedisturbanceofherfeatures—thathehadnotseenherlying，sobbingherheartoutthere。’Idon’tknow。Iwasgoinghometolunch。But—youmustletmesayit—Icouldn’tgoonwhenIsawyourdistress。Hasanythinghappened？—anythinginwhichIcanhelpyou，Imean；for，ofcourse，I’venorighttomaketheinquiry，ifitisanyprivatesorrow，inwhichIcanbeofnouse。’Shehadexhaustedherselfsomuchwithcrying，thatshefeltasifshecouldneitherstandnorwalkjustyet。Shesatedownontheseat，andsighed，andturnedsopale，hethoughtshewasgoingtofaint。’Waitamoment，’saidhe，quiteunnecessarily，forshecouldnothavestirred；
　　andhewasofflikeashottosomespringofwaterthatheknewofinthewood，andinaminuteortwohereturnedwithcarefulsteps，bringingalittleinabroadgreenleaf，turnedintoanimpromptucup。Littleasitwas，itdidhergood。’Thankyou！’shesaid：’Icanwalkbacknow，inashorttime。Don’tstop。’’Youmustletme，’saidhe：’mymotherwouldn’tlikemetoleaveyoutocomehomealone，whileyouaresofaint。’Sotheyremainedinsilenceforalittlewhile；he，breakingoffandexaminingoneortwoabnormalleavesoftheash—tree，partlyfromthecustomofhisnature，partlytogivehertimetorecover。’Papaisgoingtobemarriedagain，’saidshe，atlength。Shecouldnothavesaidwhyshetoldhimthis；aninstantbeforeshespoke，shehadnointentionofdoingso。Hedroppedtheleafheheldinhishand，turnedround，andlookedather。Herpoorwistfuleyeswerefillingwithtearsastheymethis，withadumbappealforsympathy。Herlookwasmuchmoreeloquentthanherwords。Therewasamomentarypausebeforehereplied，andthenitwasmorebecausehefeltthathemustsaysomethingthanthathewasinanydoubtastotheanswertothequestionheasked。’Youaresorryforit？’Shedidnottakehereyesawayfromhis，asherquiveringlipsformedtheword’Yes，’thoughhervoicemadenosound。Hewassilentagainnow；lookingontheground，kickingsoftlyataloosepebblewithhisfoot。Histhoughtsdidnotcomereadilytothesurfaceintheshapeofwords；norwasheaptatgivingcomforttillhesawhiswaycleartotherealsourcefromwhichconsolationmustcome。Atlasthespoke，—almostasifhewasreasoningoutthematterwithhimself。’Itseemsasiftheremightbecaseswhere—settingthequestionofloveentirelyononeside—itmustbealmostadutytofindsomeonetobeasubstituteforthemother……Icanbelieve，’saidhe，inadifferenttoneofvoice，andlookingatMollyafresh，’thatthisstepmaybegreatlyforyourfather’shappiness—itmayrelievehimfrommanycares，andmaygivehimapleasantcompanion。’’Hehadme。Youdon’tknowwhatweweretoeachother—atleast，whathewastome，’sheadded，humbly。’Stillhemusthavethoughtitforthebest，orhewouldn’thavedoneit。
　　Hemayhavethoughtitthebestforyoursakeevenmorethanforhisown。’’Thatiswhathetriedtoconvincemeof。’Rogerbegankickingthepebbleagain。Hehadnotgotholdoftherightendoftheclue。Suddenlyhelookedup。’IwanttotellyouofagirlIknow。Hermotherdiedwhenshewasaboutsixteen—theeldestofalargefamily。Fromthattime—allthoughthebloomofheryouth—shegaveherselfuptoherfatherfirstashiscomforter，afterwardsashiscompanion，friend，secretary—anythingyoulike。Hewasamanwithagreatdealofbusinessonhand，andoftencamehomeonlytosettoafreshtopreparationsforthenextday’swork。Harrietwasalwaysthere，readytohelp，totalk，ortobesilent。Itwentonforeightortenyearsinthisway；andthenherfathermarriedagain，—awomannotmanyyearsolderthanHarrietherself。Well—theyarejustthehappiestsetofpeopleIknow—youwouldn’thavethoughtitlikely，wouldyou？’Shewaslistening，butshehadnohearttosayanything。YetshewasinterestedinthislittlestoryofHarriet—agirlwhohadbeensomuchtoherfather，morethanMollyinthisearlyyouthofherscouldhavebeentoMrGibson。
　　’Howwasit？’shesighedoutatlast。’Harrietthoughtofherfather’shappinessbeforeshethoughtofherown，’
　　Rogeranswered，withsomethingofseverebrevity。Mollyneededthebracing。
　　Shebegantocryagainalittle。’Ifitwereforpapa’shappiness——’’Hemustbelievethatitis。Whateveryoufancy，givehimachance。Hecannothavemuchcomfort，Ishouldthink，ifheseesyoufrettingorpining，—youwhohavebeensomuchtohim，asyousay。Theladyherself，too—
　　ifHarriet’sstepmotherhadbeenaselfishwoman，andbeenalwaysclutchingafterthegratificationofherownwishes；butshewasnot：shewasasanxiousforHarriettobehappyasHarrietwasforherfather—andyourfather’sfuturewifemaybeanotherofthesamekind，thoughsuchpeoplearerare。’’Idon’tthinksheis，though，’murmuredMolly，awaftofrecollectionbringingtohermindthedetailsofherdayattheTowerslongago。RogerdidnotwanttohearMolly’sreasonsforthisdoubtingspeech。HefeltasifhehadnorighttohearmoreofMrGibson’sfamilylife，past，present，ortocome，thanwasabsolutelynecessaryforhim，inorderthathemightcomfortandhelpthecryinggirl，whomhehadcomeuponsounexpectedly。
　　Andbesides，hewantedtogohome，andbewithhismotheratlunch—time。
　　Yethecouldnotleaveheralone。’Itisrighttohopeforthebestabouteverybody，andnottoexpecttheworst。Thissoundslikeatruism，butithascomfortedmebeforenow，andsomedayyou’llfindituseful。Onehasalwaystotrytothinkmoreofothersthanofoneself，anditisbestnottoprejudgepeopleonthebadside。Mysermonsaren’tlong，arethey？Havetheygivenyouanappetiteforlunch？Sermonsalwaysmakemehungry，Iknow。’Heappearedtobewaitingforhertogetupandcomealongwithhim，asindeedhewas。Buthemeanthertoperceivethatheshouldnotleaveher；
　　sosheroseuplanguidly，toolanguidtosayhowmuchsheshouldpreferbeingleftalone，ifhewouldonlygoawaywithouther。Shewasveryweak，andstumbledoverthestragglingrootofatreethatprojectedacrossthepath。He，watchfulthoughsilent，sawthisstumble，andputtingouthishandheldherupfromfalling。Hestillheldherhandwhentheoccasionwaspast；thislittlephysicalfailureimpressedonhishearthowyoungandhelplessshewas，andheyearnedtoher，rememberingthepassionofsorrowinwhichhehadfoundher，andlongingtobeofsomelittletenderbitofcomforttoher，beforetheyparted—beforetheirtete—a—tetewalkwasmergedinthegeneralfamiliarityofthehouseholdlife。Yethedidnotknowwhattosay。’Youwillhavethoughtmehard，’heburstoutatlength，astheywerenearingthedrawing—roomwindowsandthegarden—door。’InevercanmanagetoexpresswhatIfeel，somehowIalwaysfalltophilosophizing，butIamsorryforyou。Yes，Iam；it’sbeyondmypowertohelpyou，asfarasalteringfactsgoes，butIcanfeelforyou，inawaywhichit’sbestnottotalkabout，foritcandonogood。RememberhowsorryIamforyou！Ishalloftenbethinkingofyou，thoughIdaresayit’sbestnottotalkaboutitagain。’Shesaid，’Iknowyouaresorry，’underherbreath，andthenshebrokeaway，andranindoors，andupstairstothesolitudeofherownroom。Hewentstraighttohismother，whowassittingbeforetheuntastedluncheon，asmuchannoyedbythemysteriousunpunctualityofhervisitorasshewascapableofbeingwithanything；forshehadheardthatMrGibsonhadbeen，andwasgone，andshecouldnotdiscoverifhehadleftanymessageforher；andheranxietyaboutherownhealth，whichsomepeopleesteemedhypochondriacal，alwaysmadeherparticularlycravingforthewisdomwhichmightfallfromherdoctor’slips。’Wherehaveyoubeen，Roger？WhereisMolly？—MissGibson，Imean，’forshewascarefultokeepupabarrierofformsbetweentheyoungmanandyoungwomanwhowerethrowntogetherinthesamehousehold。’I’vebeenoutdredging。（Bytheway，Ileftmynetontheterracewalk。）
　　IfoundMissGibsonsittingthere，cryingasifherheartwouldbreak。
　　Herfatherisgoingtobemarriedagain。’’Marriedagain！Youdon’tsayso。’’Yes，heis；andshetakesitveryhardly，poorgirl。Mother，Ithinkifyoucouldsendsomeonetoherwithaglassofwine，acupoftea，orsomethingofthatsort—shewasverynearlyfainting——’’I’llgotohermyself，poorchild，’saidMrsHamley，rising。’Indeedyoumustnot，’saidhe，layinghishanduponherarm。’Wehavekeptyouwaitingalreadytoolong；youarelookingquitepale。Hammondcantakeit，’hecontinued，ringingthebell。Shesatedownagain，almoststunnedwithsurprise。’Whomishegoingtomarry？’’Idon’tknow。Ididn’task，andshedidn’ttellme。’’That’ssolikeaman。Why，halfthecharacteroftheaffairliesinthequestionofwhomitisthatheisgoingtomarry。’’IdaresayIoughttohaveasked。ButsomehowI’mnotagoodoneonsuchoccasions。Iwasassorryascouldbeforher，andyetIcouldn’ttellwhattosay。’’Whatdidyousay？’’Igaveherthebestadviceinmypower。’’Advice！yououghttohavecomfortedher。PoorlittleMolly！’’Ithinkthatifadviceisgoodit’sthebestcomfort。’’Thatdependsonwhatyoumeanbyadvice。Hush！heresheis。’Totheirsurprise，Mollycamein，tryinghardtolookasusual。Shehadbathedhereyes，andarrangedherhair；andwasmakingagreatstruggletokeepfromcrying，andtobringhervoiceintoorder。ShewasunwillingtodistressMrsHamleybythesightofpainandsuffering。ShedidnotknowthatshewasfollowingRoger’sinjunctionstothinkmoreofothersthanofherself—butsoshewas。MrsHamleywasnotsureifitwaswiseinhertobeginonthepieceofnewsshehadjustheardfromherson；butshewastoofullofitherselftotalkofanythingelse。’SoIhearyourfatherisgoingtobemarried，mydear？MayIaskwhomitisto？’’MrsKirkpatrick。IthinkshewasgovernessalongtimeagoattheCountessofCumnor’s。Shestayswiththemagreatdeal，andtheycallherClare，andIbelievetheyareveryfondofher。’Mollytriedtospeakofherfuturestepmotherinthemostfavourablemannersheknewhow。’IthinkI’veheardofher。Thensheisnotveryyoung？That’sasitshouldbe。Awidowtoo。Hassheanyfamily？’’Onegirl，Ibelieve。ButIknowsolittleabouther！’Mollywasverynearcryingagain。’Nevermind，mydear。Thatwillallcomeingoodtime。Roger，you’vehardlyeatenanything；whereareyougoing？’’Tofetchmydredging—net。It’sfullofthingsIdon’twanttolose。Besides，Inevereatmuch，asageneralthing。’Thetruthwaspartlytold，notall。
　　Hethoughthehadbetterleavetheothertwoalone。Hismotherhadsuchsweetpowerofsympathy，thatshewoulddrawthestingoutofthegirl’sheartinatete—a—tete。Assoonashewasgone，Mollyliftedupherpoorswelledeyes，and，lookingatMrsHamley，shesaid，—’Hewassogoodtome。Imeantotryandrememberallhesaid，’’I’mgladtohearit，love；veryglad。Fromwhathetoldme，Iwasafraidhehadbeengivingyoualittlelecture。Hehasagoodheart，butheisn’tsotenderinhismannerasOsborne。Rogerisalittleroughsometimes。’’ThenIlikeroughness。Itdidmegood。Itmademefeelhowbadly—oh，MrsHamley，Ididbehavesobadlytopapathismorning。’SheroseupandthrewherselfintoMrsHamley’sarms，andsobbeduponherbreast。Hersorrowwasnotnowforthefactthatherfatherwasgoingtobemarriedagain，butforherownill—behaviour。IfRogerwasnottenderinwords，hewasindeeds。UnreasonableandpossiblyexaggeratedasMolly’sgriefhadappearedtohim，itwasrealsufferingtoher；andhetooksomepainstolightenit，inhisownway，whichwascharacteristicenough。Thateveningheadjustedhismicroscope，andputthetreasureshehadcollectedinhismorning’srambleonalittletable；
　　andthenheaskedhismothertocomeandadmire。OfcourseMollycametoo，andthiswaswhathehadintended。Hetriedtointerestherinhispursuit，cherishedherfirstlittlemorselofcuriosity，andnurseditintoaveryproperdesireforfurtherinformation。Thenhebroughtoutbooksonthesubject，andtranslatedtheslightlypompousandtechnicallanguageintohomelyevery—dayspeech。Mollyhadcomedowntodinner，wonderinghowthelonghourstillbedtimewouldeverpassaway：hoursduringwhichshemustnotspeakontheonethingthatwouldbeoccupyinghermindtotheexclusionofallothers；forshewasafraidthatalreadyshehadweariedMrsHamleywithitduringtheirafternoontete—a—tete。Butprayersandbedtimecamelongbeforeshehadexpected；shehadbeenrefreshedbyanewcurrentofthought，andshewasverythankfultoRoger。Andnowtherewasto—morrowtocome，andaconfessionofpenitencetobemadetoherfather。ButMrGibsondidnotwantspeechorwords。Hewasnotfondofexpressionsoffeelingatanytime，andperhaps，too，hefeltthatthelesssaidthebetteronasubjectaboutwhichitwasevidentthathisdaughterandhewerenotthoroughlyandimpulsivelyinharmony。Hereadherrepentanceinhereyes；hesawhowmuchshehadsuffered；andhehadasharppangathisheartinconsequence。Buthestoppedherfromspeakingoutherregretatherbehaviourthedaybefore，bya’There，there，thatwilldo。Iknowallyouwanttosay。Iknowmylittle，Molly—mysillylittlegoosey—
　　betterthansheknowsherself。I’vebroughtyouaninvitation。LadyCumnorwantsyoutogoandspendnextThursdayattheTowers！’’Doyouwishmetogo？’saidshe，herheartsinking。’IwishyouandHyacinthtobecomebetteracquainted—tolearntoloveeachother。’’Hyacinth！’saidMolly，entirelybewildered。’Yes；Hyacinth！It’sthesilliestnameIeverheardof；butit’shers，andImustcallherbyit。Ican’tbearClare，whichiswhatmyladyandallthefamilyattheTowerscallher；and"MrsKirkpatrick"isformalandnonsensicaltoo，asshe’llchangehernamesosoon。’’When，papa？’askedMolly，feelingasifshewerelivinginastrange，unknownworld。’NottillafterMichaelmas。’Andthen，continuingonhisownthoughts，headded，’Andtheworstis，she’sgoneandperpetuatedherownaffectednamebyhavingherdaughtercalledafterher。Cynthia！Onethinksofthemoon，andthemaninthemoonwithhisbundleoffaggots。I’mthankfulyou’replainMolly，child。’’Howoldisshe—Cynthia，Imean？’’Ay，getaccustomedtothename。IshouldthinkCynthiaKirkpatrickwasaboutasoldasyouare。She’satschoolinFrance，pickingupairsandgraces。She’stocomehomeforthewedding，soyou’llbeabletogetacquaintedwithherthen；though，Ithink，she’stogobackagainforanotherhalf—yearorso。EndofPartOnechapter11ELIZABETHGASKELLWIVESANDDAUGHTERSPARTII（ChaptersXI—XX）CHAPTERXIMAKINGFRIENDSHIPMrGibsonbelievedthatCynthiaKirkpatrickwastoreturntoEnglandtobepresentathermother’swedding；butMrsKirkpatrickhadnosuchintention。
　　Shewasnotwhatiscommonlycalledawomanofdetermination；butsomehowwhatshedislikedsheavoided，andwhatshelikedshetriedtodo，ortohave。Soalthoughintheconversation，whichshehadalreadyledto，astothewhenandthehowshewastobemarried，shehadlistenedquietlytoMrGibson’sproposalthatMollyandCynthiashouldbethetwobridesmaids，shehadfelthowdisagreeableitwouldbetohertohaveheryoungdaughterflashingoutherbeautybythesideofthefadedbride，hermother；andasthefurtherarrangementsfortheweddingbecamemoredefinite，shesawfurtherreasonsinherownmindforCynthia’sremainingquietlyatherschoolatBoulogne。MrsKirkpatrickhadgonetobedthatfirstnightofherengagementtoMrGibson，fullyanticipatingaspeedymarriage。Shelookedtoitasareleasefromthethraldomofkeepingschool；keepinganunprofitableschool，withbarelyenoughofpupilstopayforhouse—rentandtaxes，food，washing，andtherequisitemasters。ShesawnoreasonforevergoingbacktoAshcombe，excepttowindupheraffairs，andtopackupherclothes。ShehopedthatMrGibson’sardourwouldbesuchthathewouldpressonthemarriage，andurgehernevertoresumeherschooldrudgery，buttorelinquishitnowandforever。Sheevenmadeupaverypretty，verypassionatespeechforhiminherownmind；quitesufficientlystrongtoprevailuponher，andtooverthrowthescrupleswhichshefeltthatsheoughttohave，attellingtheparentsofherpupilsthatshedidnotintendtoresumeschool，andthattheymustfindanotherplaceofeducationfortheirdaughters，inthelastweekbutoneofthemidsummerholidays。ItwasratherlikeadoucheofcoldwateronMrsKirkpatrick’splans，whenthenextmorningatbreakfastLadyCumnorbegantodecideuponthearrangementsanddutiesofthetwomiddle—agedlovers。’Ofcourseyoucan’tgiveupyourschoolallatonce，Clare。Theweddingcan’tbebeforeChristmas，butthatwilldoverywell。WeshallallbedownattheTowers；anditwillbeaniceamusementforthechildrentogoovertoAshcombe，andseeyoumarried。’’Ithink—Iamafraid—Idon’tbelieveMrGibsonwilllikewaitingsolong；menaresoimpatientunderthesecircumstances。’’Oh，nonsense！LordCumnorhasrecommendedyoutohistenants，andI’msurehewouldn’tlikethemtobeputtoanyinconvenience。MrGibsonwillseethatinamoment。He’samanofsense，orelsehewouldn’tbeourfamilydoctor。Now，whatareyougoingtodoaboutyourlittlegirl？Haveyoufixedyet？’’No。Yesterdaythereseemedsolittletime，andwhenoneisagitateditissodifficulttothinkofeverything。Cynthiaisnearlyeighteen，oldenoughtogooutasagoverness，ifhewishesit，butIdon’tthinkhewill。Heissogenerousandkind。’’Well！Imustgiveyoutimetosettlesomeofyouraffairsto—day。Don’twasteitinsentiment，you’retoooldforthat。Cometoaclearunderstandingwitheachother；itwillbeforyourhappinessinthelongrun。’Sotheydidcometoaclearunderstandingaboutoneortwothings。ToMrsKirkpatrick’sdismay，shefoundthatMrGibsonhadnomoreideathanLadyCumnorofherbreakingfaithwiththeparentsofherpupils。ThoughhereallywasataseriouslossastowhatwastobecomeofMollyuntilshecouldbeundertheprotectionofhisnewwifeatherownhome，andthoughhisdomesticworriesteasedhimmoreandmoreeveryday，hewastoohonourabletothinkofpersuadingMrsKirkpatricktogiveupschoolaweeksoonerthanwasrightforhissake。Hedidnotevenperceivehoweasythetaskofpersuasionwouldbe；withallherwinningwilesshecouldscarcelyleadhimtofeelimpatiencefortheweddingtotakeplaceatMichaelmas。’Icanhardlytellyouwhatacomfortandreliefitwillbetome，Hyacinth，whenyouareoncemywife—themistressofmyhome—poorlittleMolly’smotherandprotector；butIwouldn’tinterferewithyourpreviousengagementsfortheworld。Itwouldn’tberight。’’Thankyou，myownlove。Howgoodyouare！Somanymenwouldthinkonlyoftheirownwishesandinterests！I’msuretheparentsofmydearpupilswilladmireyou—willbequitesurprisedatyourconsiderationfortheirinterests。’’Don’ttellthem，then。Ihatebeingadmired。Whyshouldn’tyousayitisyourwishtokeeponyourschooltillthey’vehadtimetolookoutforanother？’’Becauseitisn’t，’saidshe，daringall。’Ilongtobemakingyouhappy；