tudies; he seemed to take much benevolent pleasure in
endeavoring to compensate to this generous and excellent creature, for
the intellectual disadvantages of a life devoted to others as hers had
been. He usually, also, found or made an opportunity for talking over
with her what she had been reading; and, he believed, in all sincerity,
and so did she, that he was actuated in these proceedings merely, as I
said, by the disinterested desire of offering compensation for past
sacrifices; stimulated by the very high value he himself attached to
mental cultivation, regarding it as the best source of independent
happiness both for men and women.

But whatever were the motives with which he began this labor of
kindness, it is certain as he proceeded therein a vast deal more
interest and pleasure were mingled up with this little task than had
been the case at first.

Her simple, unaffected purity of heart; her single-mindedness, unstained
by selfish thought, pride, or vanity, or folly, in its simplicity and
singleness of purpose, were displayed before him. The generous
benevolence of purpose; the warm and grateful piety; the peculiar
right-mindedness; the unaffected love for all that was excellent, true,
good, or beautiful, and the happy facility of detecting all that was
good or beneficial wherever it was to be found, and wherever observed;
the sweet cheerfulness and repose of the character; that resemblance to
a green field, which I have heard a husband of only too sensitive a
nature gratefully attribute to his partner; all this worked strongly,
though unmarked.

Mr. St. Leger began to experience a sense of a sweetness, solace, and
enjoyment, in the presence of Lettice Arnold, that he had not found upon
this earth for years, and which he never had hoped to find again.

But all this time he never dreamed of falling in love. His imagination
never traveled so far as to think of such a thing as appropriating this
rare blessing to himself. To live with her was his destiny at present,
and that seemed happiness enough; and, indeed he scarcely had got so far
as to acknowledge to his own heart, how much happiness that privilege
conferred.

She, on her side, was equally tranquil, undisturbed by the slightest
participation in the romance Catherine would so gladly have commenced.
She went on contentedly, profiting by his instructions, delighting in
his company, and adoring his goodness; but would as soon have thought of
appropriatin