. She had no small gift of patience, and had
taught herself to look upon the less troubles of life as on a bad
dream. There are children, though not yet many, capable, through faith
in their parents, of learning not a little by their experience, and
Mary was one of such; from the first she received her father's lessons
like one whose business it was to learn them, and had thereby come to
learn where he had himself learned. Hence she was not one to say _our
Father in heaven_, and act as if there were no such Father, or as if he
cared but little for his children. She was even foolish enough to
believe that that Father both knew and cared that she was hungry and
cold and wearily uncomfortable; and thence she was weak enough to take
the hunger and cold and discomfort as mere passing trifles, which could
not last a moment longer than they ought. From her sore-tried endeavors
after patience, had grown the power of active waiting--and a genuinely
waiting child is one of the loveliest sights the earth has to show.

This was not the reception she had pictured to herself, as the train
came rushing from Testbridge to London; she had not, indeed, imagined a
warm one, but she had not expected to be forgotten--for so she
interpreted her abandonment in the hall, which seemed to grow colder
every minute. She saw no means of reminding the household of her
neglected presence, and indeed would rather have remained where she was
till the morning than encounter the growing familiarity of the man who
had admitted her. She did think once--if Mrs. Redmain were to hear of
her reception, how she would resent it! and would have found it
difficult to believe how far people like her are from troubling
themselves about the behavior of their servants to other people; for
they have no idea of an obligation to rule their own house, neither
seem to have a notion of being accountable for what goes on in it.

She had grown very weary, and began to long for a floor on which she
might stretch herself; there was not a sound in the house but the
ticking of a clock somewhere; and she was now wondering whether
everybody had gone to bed, when she heard a step approaching, and
presently Castle, who was the only man at home, stood up before her,
and, with the ease of perfect self-satisfaction, and as if there was
nothing in the neglect of her but the custom of the house to cool
people well in the hall before admitting them to its penetralia, said,
"Step this way-