Think not, girl, that I forget you. Whatever may
be my fortune, I shall always have an eye to yours. I leave you now, but
shall see you before long, when I shall settle you permanently and
comfortably. Farewell."
He left her in seeming unconsciousness of the words whispered in her
ears, yet she heard them all, and duly estimated their value. To her, to
whom he had once pledged himself entirely, the cold boon of his
attention and sometime care was painfully mortifying. She exhibited
nothing, however, beyond what we have already seen, of the effect of
this consolation upon her heart. There is a period in human emotions,
when feeling itself becomes imperceptible--when the heart (as it were)
receives the _coup de grace_, and days, and months, and years, before
the body expires, shows nothing of the fire which is consuming it.
We would not have it understood to be altogether the case with the young
destitute before us; but, at least, if she still continued to feel these
still-occurring influences, there was little or no outward indication of
their power upon the hidden spirit.
Pages:
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591
592