he idea that she was a sort of fairy, had
given him the wild hope that she might help him, and when that hope
failed him there seemed to be nothing left but to pray that the angels
might take him, as they had taken his papa and mamma, away from the
strange, dreadful world. Then Angelica's sweetness and gentleness had
begun to win the little lonely heart, and his disobedience to Betty on
the first day had been a bit of perversity, just to show that he was
not going to give in all at once. But when Godfrey gave his heart he
gave it for good and all, and after that evening when he first kissed
Angel he held out no longer, and soon made himself as much at home at
Oakfield as if he had lived there all his life. He was a good deal
like Betty herself in some things, just as bright and quick and
fanciful, making up his mind about everything directly, and liking or
disliking with all his might. Angel used to listen to them in wonder,
as Godfrey asked torrents of questions and Betty answered them as
readily as possible, and they went on supposing this and supposing that
much faster than she could follow. Godfrey was quite different with
her, much quieter and gentler, and Angel thought it very kind of him to
wait, looking patiently up into her face while she thought things out
and talked to him in her careful, deliberate way; and she feared he
must think her stupid, and that would be so bad for him. She was a
little bit afraid, too, that he was not even now quite clear about the
difference between herself and the angels who watched over him, for he
was apt to get confused between true stories and fairy stories and his
own imaginings. One day she just hinted at it to Martha Rogers, but
Martha didn't think it mattered. She advised Angel not to bother
herself and little master too much about small things, which would get
clear to him by-and-bye: children thought a many queer things which did
no harm. And to herself she said, as Penelope had done, that if
Godfrey made no worse mistakes than confusing his gentle young aunt
with his angel guardians he would not go very far wrong. And Angel,
feeling sure Martha knew best, was content to wait and not trouble
about it. If Betty could have found a fault in her elder sister's
dealings with their nephew it would have been that she was not strict
and particular enough about what she called details. Betty wanted to
bring up Godfrey on a proper plan, and she had arranged a set of rules