ower was to wait upon her with that engaging
attention that rendered him so good a nurse. He was his pleasantest
self, and she was so lively as to put every one else into good spirits.
It was pretty to see the universal pleasure in her recovery--the weeding
woman, going home late, and looking up at the window to see if she was
there, as Miss Helen had promised, and curtseying, hardly able to speak
for joy and grief together, when Theodora beckoned her to the window,
and asked after her children. The dumb page, too, had watched an hour
for her crossing the hall and when Arthur would have taken the tea
from him, to hand to her, he gave such a beseeching glance as was quite
irresistible, and the more affecting as Theodora's hands were not yet in
condition to converse with him, and she was forced to constitute Johnnie
her interpreter.

It was long since any of them had spent so happy an evening; and at
night Arthur insisted on helping her up-stairs, and said, 'I declare it
is a shame not to leave you Violet. Suppose you keep her till you are
all right again?'

'O, thank you, Arthur; but--' for Violet looked doubtful.

'Why, I thought you wanted to stay, Violet?' said Arthur.

'If you could.'

'Too late for that; but you must settle it between you before to-morrow
morning. Good night.'

Lady Martindale warmly pressed Violet to stay, and she found it much
worse to have personally to make the choice than to be only a piece of
property at Arthur's disposal. She was, however, firm, saying that he
would be uncomfortable without her; and she was grateful to Theodora for
perceiving her motives, and preventing further entreaties.

'You are right,' said Theodora, when her mother was gone. 'It would not
be fit to leave him with an empty house, so I must yield you up; but I
cannot bear to think of you in London.'

'I am used to it,' said Violet, with her patient smile.

'And it will not be four years before we meet again. I shall try hard to
come to you in the autumn.'

'How comfortable that would be! But you must not be uneasy about me, nor
put any one out of the way. I can get on very well, as long as I have
Johnnie.'

It was not till both had laid down to rest, and the room was dark, that
Theodora said, 'I understand it now. Her poor sister must have brought
her into some bad foreign society, from which he could only rescue her
by marrying her.'

So abrupt was this commencement that Violet had to recollect who was
me