to come upon him when alone. In the presence of
another person he could talk in the same quiet matter-of-fact way in
which he had already done to his aunt; and the blow itself, sudden as it
was, did not affect his health as the first anticipation of it had done.
With Henrietta things were quite otherwise. When alone she was quiet, in
a sort of stupor, in which she scarcely even thought; but the entrance
of any person into her room threw her into a fresh paroxysm of grief,
ever increasing in vehemence; then she was quieted a little, and was
left to herself, but she could not, or would not, turn where alone
comfort could be found, and repelled, almost as if it was an insult to
her affection, any entreaty that she would even try to be comforted.
Above all, in the perverse-ness of her undisciplined affliction, she
persisted in refusing to see her brother. "She should do him harm," she
said. "No, it was utterly impossible for her to control herself so as
not to do him harm." And thereupon her sobs and tears redoubled. She
would not touch a morsel of food; she would not consent to leave her bed
when asked to do so, though ten minutes after, in the restlessness
of her misery, she was found walking up and down her room in her
dressing-gown.

Never had Mrs. Geoffrey Langford known a more trying day. Old Mr.
Langford, who had loved "Mary" like his own child, did indeed bear
up under the affliction with all his own noble spirit of Christian
submission; but, excepting by his sympathy, he could be of little
assistance to her in the many painful offices which fell to her share.
Mrs. Langford walked about the house, active as ever; now sitting down
in her chair, and bursting into a flood of tears for "poor Mary," or
"dear Frederick," all the sorrow for whose loss seemed renewed; then
rising vigorously, saying, "Well, it is His will; it is all for the
best!" and hastening away to see how Henrietta and Fred were, to make
some arrangement about mourning, or to get Geoffrey's room ready for
him. And in all these occupations she wanted Beatrice to consult, or to
sympathise, or to promise that Geoffrey would like and approve what she
did. In the course of the morning Mr. and Mrs. Roger Langford came from
Sutton Leigh, and the latter, by taking the charge of, talking to, and
assisting Mrs. Langford, greatly relieved her sister-in-law. Still there
were the two young mourners. Henrietta was completely unmanageable, only
resting now and then t