IV. JOANNA’S CARE 539

“She flung down her netting, and turned sharply round, saying, ‘Are you unhappy, child?’ ‘Oh no!’ said I, ‘only my week is up, and I thought it was time-’

“I was not allowed to finish my sentence. She said, ‘Never let me hear you say anything again about going; as long as you are happy here, stay, and we’ll send for your clothes, and make arrangements about lessons, and everything else here.’

“And thus it came about that I stayed seven years!- till I married; going home now and then to Scotland, but always getting pathetic little letters there, telling me to ‘come back as soon as my mother could spare me, that I was much missed, and nobody could ever fill my place.’ And auntie was very old then (not that she ever could bear being called old, at ninety!), and I could not ever bear the thought of leaving her!”

64. Thus far Joanie; nor virtually have she and I ever parted since. I do not care to count how long it is since her marriage to Arthur Severn; only I think her a great deal prettier now than I did then: but other people thought her extremely pretty then, and I am certain that everybody felt the guileless and melodious sweetness of the face. Her first conquest was almost on our threshold; for half an hour or so after we had reached Denmark Hill, Carlyle rode up the front garden, joyfully and reverently received as always; and stayed the whole afternoon; even (Joan says) sitting with us during our early dinner at five. Many a day after that, he used to come; and one evening, “in describing with some rapture how he had once as a young man had a delightful trip into Galloway, ‘where he was most hospitably entertained in the town of Wigtown by a Mr. Tweddale,’ I (Joan) said quietly, ‘I am so glad! That was my grandfather, and Wigtown is my native place!; He turned in a startled, sudden way, saying, ‘Bless the child, is that so?’ adding some very pretty compliments to my place and its people, which filled my heart with great pride. And, on another occasion, after he had been to

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