Poor Miss Finch

View of

en - all about ourselves. The day had declined; the setting sun was pouring its last red luster into our

e chemist's," said Lucilla. "I ough

take it to Susan y

ar way. It was so thoroughly un-English. Down with the devilish system

g to take it to

I go wi

o me. "I suppose you are too tired to go out a

; I was quite ready to go

her own, she had apparently attached a certain

t very well send it. She is old and obstinate. If I take it to her, she will believe in the remedy. If anybody else ta

ck at it. Lucilla? No; the old nurse entering on tiptoe, with a

g you out with her this evening. She is burning with curiosity - like all the rest of us for that matter. She took me ou

illa so curious a

question. "We none of us can find out anything about him. He usually takes his walk at twilight. You are pretty sure to meet him

answer set my cur

I am a stranger! I know nothing about it. Has

on me, ma'am! You will see for yourself. I only speak for my young lady's good." She hobbled a

e garden, and passing through a gat

king mischief in our little household, on the first day of my joining it. I kept my eyes wide open, and waited f

etter than you do. I roam all over the neig

bottle in the other - and her roguish little hat on the top of her head - she made the quaintest and prettiest picture

nt - suspiciously silent as I thought, after what Zillah had told me. She had, as I fancied, the look of a person who was listening intently. Arrived at the cottage of the rheumatic

she said. "It is so nice and c

lonely windings of the valley along which I had passed in the morning. When we came opposite the little solitary house, which I had already le

to-night?" she asked, waving h

?" It was not my business to interpret her meaning, before she had thought fit to confid

into a new winding of the valley - and there, walking towards us from the o

r - and I saw that he was young. Nearer still - and I discovered that he was handsome, though in rather an effeminate way. At the same moment, Lucilla heard his footstep.

with an expression which told me plainly that I had produced a disagreeable impression on him. With some difficulty - for my companion was holding my arm, and seemed to be disposed to stop altogether - I quickened my pace so as to get by h

he opposite side to Lucil

a'am," he said. "You

onceivable to me. In the double surprise of discovering this, and of finding myself charged so abruptly with the offense o

ad to say - speaking, mind, in the tone of a perfectly well-bred

strange question," he went on. "Did you happen

than woman, if I had not reco

ir," I answered. "May I ask, on my s

lying, he look

more. Perhaps thi

ed her full face upon him. There was still light enough left for her eyes to tell their own sad story, in their own mute way. As he read the truth in them, the man's face changed from t

forgive me. My strange behavior has its excuse - if I could bring myself to expla

ly repeat that there was nothing strange or flighty in his manner. A perfect gentleman, in

h her blind face raised to the sky, lost i

hat man?"

ce still in my ears - and now I have lost it! 'Who is he?'" she added, after a moment; repeating my ques

ime you have heard h

t with Zillah. But he never spoke. What is

e darkness was coming. I thought it wise to propose returning to the house. She consente

in a court of law. Lucilla appeared to be satisfied, so far, with the results. "Ah!" she exclaimed, letting

ll us about Exeter?" She despatched Zillah to the other side of the house for a gazetteer. I followed the old woman into the corridor, and set her mind at ease, in a whisper. "I

elating to the third of last month, and his extraordinary assertion that I had distressed him when I looked at him. With the nurse breathless on on

Saxon Kings. It has a large foreign and home commerce. Population 33,738.

all?" ask

ered, like Finch's boy, i

ll."