Poor Miss Finch

View of

- I trusted entirely to myself to wake in good time

, until the day dawned. Then I fell asleep at last in good earnest. When I

home? No: she had gone out for a little walk. By herself? Yes -

rrived at my

bed. The one thing to do, was to follow her as speedily as possible. In half an hour more, I was out for

h the house was built, I approached it from the back. The windows were all open. I listened. (Do you suppose I felt scruples in such an emergency as this? Oh, pooh! pooh! who but a fool would have felt anything of the sort!) I li

ave eyes in the ends of your fingers. Take thi

s composedly as if she had known him for years. "Wait! what metal is it?

et with a man in Italy, who taught me. It amused me, then - and it amuses me now. When I was recoverin

old and silver plates that came to you from London. Are you aware of what a charact

en these two merry young people. One half of the open window was sheltered, on the outer side, by a Venetian blind. I stood behind the blind, and peeped in. (Duty! oh, dear me, painful, but necessary duty!) Dubourg was sitting with his back to

t the pattern is on y

really

irds placed among them, at intervals. Stop! I think I have felt leav

g! it i

like them - only much larger - for holding pepper, and mustard, and sugar, and so on. Owls!" she exclaimed, with a cr

will honor me, you will delight

ead - without giving him

d. "Why don't you tell us who you are, and what your r

with his head down,

urprised if people are suspicious of me." He paused, and added

y n

t ask

er ivory cane, and put the vas

g, Mr. Dubou

he house, I saw them appear under the porch, and cross the little walled enclosure in

said, "will you tell it to some one else

friend?"

om you met with

afraid I offended

" With that strong hint, she actually gave him her hand at parting. Her perfect self-possession, her easy familiarity with this stranger - so bold, and yet so innoce

he was to follow her no farther, a

ess making her nervous in the presence of a man unknown to her, it

eration and respect. Whatever shyness there had been between them, was shyness entirely on his side. I had a short stuff dress on, which made no noise over the grass. I skirted the wall of the enclosure, a

aid, "I am waiting

like the color of a young girl. Anybody who understands women will understand that this

decoy a young lady, to whom you are a perfect stranger, into your house - a young lady who claims, in right

ettled, for the time

respect to the young lady! I feel the sincerest admiration and compassion for her. Circumstances jus

. Need I add (seeing the prospect not far off of his bullying me), th

swered. "Having said so much, I have only to add that I shall b

ignity. His gentler manner

nd it startled the lady by flying out and barking at her as she passed this house. After I had driven away the dog, I begged her to come in and sit down until she had recovered herself. Am I to

his time, fairly forced to acknowledge to myself that the opinion was wrong. His expla

seen - with a singularly winning gentle modest expression in them. As for his complexion - so creamy and spotless and fair - he had no right to it: it ought to have been a woman's complexion, or at least a boy's. He looked inde

orning. Accept my excuses - and let us try if we can't do each other justice in the end. I have something more to say to you before we

leasantest good tempe

wo chairs near the window - with this difference - that I contrived to possess mysel

eady have guessed that I overheard wh

as so - and began to toy nervously with the

mplying with her request. Tell me plainly, if you please. Will you come and see us, in the character of a gentleman who has satisfied two ladies that they can receive him as a

k on the table, and

ough what I have been compelled to endure -" His voice failed him

ak and womanish in the manner in which this Dubourg met the advance which I had made to

rage is not worn out. In your place, if I knew myself to be an honorable man, I would not allow the breath of suspicion

. He started u

Has the photograph proclaimed your infamous notoriety in all the shop-windows?" He dropped back into his chair, and wrung his hands in a frenzy. "Oh, the public!" he exclaimed; "the horrible

nxious and too wretched, to amuse myself by looking into shop-windows before I came here. You, and your name, are equally strange to me. If y

ghest pitch of excitement: I was hardly conscious of what I said or did. At that supreme moment, we enr

the newspaper

es

you se

een the name

is not '

t is

over me; and whisper

rted, thunderstr

for murder last month, and who was all but hanged,