Miss Broadus's face. It was in a certain
sense fair, and fat, and fresh-coloured; but the "windows of her soul"
shewed very little light from within; they let out nothing but a little
gleam now and then. However, her tongue was fluent, and matter for
speech never wanting. She was kindly too, in manner at least; and
extremely sociable with all her neighbours, low as well as high; none
of whose affairs wanted interest for her. It was in fact owing to Miss
Broadus's good offices with Mrs. Powle, that Mr. Rhys had been invited
to join the pleasure party with which the adventures of this book
begin. The good lady was as neat as a pink in her dress; and very fond
of being as shewy, in a modest way.

"Among us again, Eleanor?" she said. "We are glad to see you. So is Mr.
Carlisle, I should judge. We have missed you badly. You have been
terribly ill, haven't you? Yes, you shew it. But _that_ will soon pass
away, my dear. I longed to get in to do something for you--but Mrs.
Powle would not let me; and I knew you had the best of everything all
the while. Only I thought I would bring you a pot of my grape jelly;
for Mrs. Powle don't make it; and it is so refreshing."

"It was very nice, thank you."

"O it was nothing, my dear; only we wanted to do something. I have been
having such an interesting time out there; didn't you see us sitting on
the grass? Mr. Rhys is quite a botanist--or a naturalist--or something;
and he was quite the centre of our entertainment. He was shewing us
ferns--fern leaves, my dear; and talking about them. Do you know, as I
told him, I never looked at a fern leaf before; but now really it's
quite curious; and he has almost made me believe I could see a certain
kind of beauty in them. You know there is a sort of beauty which some
people think they find in a great many things; and when they are
enthusiastic, they almost make you think as they do. I think there is
great power in enthusiasm."

"Is Mr. Rhys enthusiastic?"

"O I don't know, my dear,--I don't know what you would call it; I am
not a philosopher; but he is very fond of ferns himself. He is a very
fine man. He is a great deal too good to go and throw himself away."

"Is that what he is going to do?"

"Why yes, my dear; that is what I should call it. It is a great deal
more than that. I never can remember the place; but it is the most
dreadful place, I do suppose, that ever was heard of. I never heard of
such a place. They do every horrible th