that I knew that if it
pleased him to see Edward she would be glad to bring him down to Worth.
He seemed gratified with this idea, and begged me to ask her to do so,
desiring that his respects should be at the same time conveyed to her. I
almost ventured at that moment to recall his lost wife to his thoughts,
by saying that his child resembled her strongly; for your likeness at
that time, and even now, my dear Edward, to your poor mother was very
marked. But my courage failed me, and his talk soon reverted to an
earlier period, comparing the mildness of the month to that of the first
winter which he spent at Eton. His thoughts, however, must, I fancy,
have returned for a moment to the days when he first met your mother,
for he suddenly asked, "Where is Gaskell? Why does he never come to see
me?" This brought quite a new idea to my mind. I fancied it might do my
brother much good to have by him so sensible and true a friend as I knew
Mr. Gaskell to be. The latter's address had fortunately not slipped from
my memory, and I put all scruples aside and wrote by the next mail to
him, setting forth my brother's sad condition, saying that I had heard
John mention his name, and begging him on my own account to be so good
as to help us if possible and come to us in this hour of trial. Though
he was so far off as Westmorland, Mr. Gaskell's generosity brought
him at once to our aid, and within a week he was installed at Worth
Maltravers, sleeping, in the library, where we had arranged a bed at
his own desire, so that he might be near his sick friend.

His presence was of the utmost assistance to us all. He treated John
at once with the tenderness of a woman and the firmness of a clever
and strong man. They sat constantly together in the mornings, and Mr.
Gaskell told me John had not shown with him the same reluctance to talk
freely of his married life as he had discovered with me. The tenor of
his communications I cannot guess, nor did I ever ask; but I knew that
Mr. Gaskell was much affected by them.

John even amused himself now at times by having Mr. Baker into his rooms
of a morning, that the management of the estate might be discussed with
his friend; and he also expressed his wish to see the family solicitor,
as he desired to draw his will. Thinking that any diversion of this
nature could not but be beneficial to him, we sent to Dorchester for our
solicitor, Mr. Jeffreys, who together with his clerk spent three nights
at Wo