fire in the
kitchen, and now I'll light one here."

He lit the fire, Eustacia dreamily observing him from her couch. When it
was blazing up he said, "Shall I wheel you round in front of it, ma'am,
as the morning is chilly?"

"Yes, if you like."

"Shall I go and bring the victuals now?"

"Yes, do," she murmured languidly.

When he had gone, and the dull sounds occasionally reached her ears of
his movements in the kitchen, she forgot where she was, and had for a
moment to consider by an effort what the sounds meant. After an interval
which seemed short to her whose thoughts were elsewhere, he came in with
a tray on which steamed tea and toast, though it was nearly lunch-time.

"Place it on the table," she said. "I shall be ready soon."

He did so, and retired to the door; when, however, he perceived that she
did not move he came back a few steps.

"Let me hold it to you, if you don't wish to get up," said Charley. He
brought the tray to the front of the couch, where he knelt down, adding,
"I will hold it for you."

Eustacia sat up and poured out a cup of tea. "You are very kind to me,
Charley," she murmured as she sipped.

"Well, I ought to be," said he diffidently, taking great trouble not
to rest his eyes upon her, though this was their only natural position,
Eustacia being immediately before him. "You have been kind to me."

"How have I?" said Eustacia.

"You let me hold your hand when you were a maiden at home."

"Ah, so I did. Why did I do that? My mind is lost--it had to do with the
mumming, had it not?"

"Yes, you wanted to go in my place."

"I remember. I do indeed remember--too well!"

She again became utterly downcast; and Charley, seeing that she was not
going to eat or drink any more, took away the tray.

Afterwards he occasionally came in to see if the fire was burning, to
ask her if she wanted anything, to tell her that the wind had shifted
from south to west, to ask her if she would like him to gather her some
blackberries; to all which inquiries she replied in the negative or with
indifference.

She remained on the settee some time longer, when she aroused herself
and went upstairs. The room in which she had formerly slept still
remained much as she had left it, and the recollection that this forced
upon her of her own greatly changed and infinitely worsened situation
again set on her face the undetermined and formless misery which it
had worn on her first arrival. She peeped into he