mischief-maker; and so, on the spur of the moment, I took
her into my own room, while her little girl minded the shop, and there
and then I told her who I was, and what I wanted.

And now she behaved most admirably. Instead of expressing surprise, she
assured me that all along she had felt there was something, and that
I must be somebody. Lovely as my paintings were (which I never heard,
before or since, from any impartial censor), she had known that it could
not be that alone which had kept me so long in their happy valley. And
now she did hope I would do her the honor to stay beneath her humble
roof, though entitled to one so different. And was the fairy ring in the
church-yard made of all my family?

I replied that too surely this was so, and that nothing would please me
better than to find, according to my stature, room to sleep inside it
as soon as ever I should have solved the mystery of its origin. At the
moment this was no exaggeration, so depressing was the sense of fighting
against the unknown so long, with scarcely any one to stand by me, or
avenge me if I fell. And Betsy's departure, though I tried to take it
mildly, had left me with a readiness to catch my breath.

But to dwell upon sadness no more than need be (a need as sure as
hunger), it was manifest now to my wondering mind that once more I had
chanced upon a good, and warm, and steadfast heart. Every body is said
to be born, whether that happens by night or day, with a certain little
widowed star, which has lost its previous mortal, concentrating from a
billion billion of miles, or leagues, or larger measure, intense, but
generally invisible, radiance upon him or her; and to take for the
moment this old fable as of serious meaning, my star was to find bad
facts at a glance, but no bad folk without long gaze.

CHAPTER XL

THE MAN AT LAST

This new alliance with Mrs. Busk not only refreshed my courage, but
helped me forward most importantly. In truth, if it had not been for
this I never could have borne what I had to bear, and met the perils
which I had to meet. For I had the confidence of feeling now that here
was some one close at hand, an intelligent person, and well acquainted
with the place and neighborhood, upon whom I could rely for warning,
succor, and, if the worst should come to the very worst, revenge. It is
true that already I had Jacob Rigg, and perhaps the protector promised
by my cousin; but the former was as ignorant as he wa