d with her usual frankness on
first hearing of his existence whether he would be likely to leave Anna
anything on his death; and upon being informed that he had a family of
sons, and large estates and little money, looked upon it as a great
hardship to be obliged to have him in her London house. She objected to
all Germans, and thought this particular one a dreadful old man, and
never wearied of making humorous comments on his clothes and the oddness
of his manners at meals. She was vexed that he should be with them in
Hill Street, and refused to give dinners while he was there. She also
asked him several times if he would not enjoy a stay at Estcourt, and
said that the country was now at its best, and the primroses were in
full beauty.

"I want not primroses," said Uncle Joachim, who seldom spoke at length;
"I live in the country. I will now see London."

So he went about diligently to all the museums and picture-galleries,
sometimes alone and sometimes with Anna, who neglected her social duties
more than ever in order to be with him, for she loved him.

They talked together chiefly in German, Uncle Joachim carefully
correcting her mistakes; and while they went frugally in omnibuses to
the different sights, and ate buns in confectioners' shops at
lunch-time, and walked long distances where no omnibuses were to be
found--for besides having a great fear of hansoms he was very
thrifty--he drew her out, saying little himself, and in a very short
time knew almost as much about her life and her perplexities as she did.

She was very happy during his visit, and told herself contentedly that
blood, after all, was thicker than water. She did not stop to consider
what she meant exactly by this, but she had a vague notion that Susie
was the water. She felt that Uncle Joachim understood her better than
anyone had yet done; and was it not natural that her dear mother's
brother should? And it was only after she had taken him to service at
St. Paul's that she began to perceive that there might perhaps be points
on which their tastes differed. Uncle Joachim had remained seated while
other people knelt or stood; but that did not matter in that liberal
place, where nobody notices the degree of his neighbour's devoutness.
And he had slept during the anthem, one of those unaccompanied anthems
that are sung there with what seem of a certainty to be the voices of
angels. And on coming out, when a fugue was rolling in glorious
confusion