Not that I feared Graham would hurt, or very roughly check her; but I thought she ran risk of incurring such a careless, impatient repulse, as would be worse almost to her than a blow.

On: the whole, however, these demonstrations were borne passively: sometimes even a sort of complacent wonder at her earnest partiality would smile not unkindly in his eyes.

Once he said:--"You like me almost as well as if you were my little sister, Polly." "Oh! I _do_ like you," said she; "I _do_ like you very much." I was not long allowed the amusement of this study of character.

She had scarcely been at Bretton two months, when a letter came from Mr.
Home, signifying that he was now settled amongst his maternal kinsfolk on the Continent; that, as England was become wholly distasteful to him, he had no thoughts of returning hither, perhaps, for years; and that he wished his little girl to join him immediately.
"I wonder how she will take this news ?" said Mrs.Bretton, when she had read the letter.

_I_ wondered, too, and I took upon myself to communicate it.
Repairing to the drawing-room--in which calm and decorated apartment she was fond of being alone, and where she could be implicitly trusted, for she fingered nothing, or rather soiled nothing she fingered--I found her seated, like a little Odalisque, on a couch, half shaded by the drooping draperies of the window near.