Down went his net, skilfully twisted so as to retain its contents, while it lay amid the herbage, and he himself went with light and well-planted footsteps in search of the treasure.He was so great a lover of nature that, without any thought, but habitually, he always avoided treading unnecessarily on any plant; who knew what long-sought growth or insect might develop itself in what now appeared but insignificant? His steps led him in the direction of the ash-tree seat, much less screened from observation on this side than on the terrace.He stopped; he saw a light-coloured dress on the ground - somebody half-lying on the seat, so still just then, he wondered if the person, whoever it was, had fallen ill or fainted.He paused to watch.In a minute or two the sobs broke out again - the words.It was Miss Gibson crying out in a broken voice, - 'Oh, papa, papa! if you would but come back!' For a minute or two he thought it would be kinder to leave her believing herself unobserved; he had even made a retrograde step or two, on tip-toe;but then he heard the miserable sobbing again.It was farther than his mother could walk, or else, be the sorrow what it would, she was the natural comforter of this girl, her visitor.However, whether it was right or wrong, delicate or obtrusive, when he heard the sad voice talking again, in such tones of uncomforted, lonely misery, he turned back, and went to the green tent under the ash-tree.She started up when he came thus close to her;she tried to check her sobs, and instinctively smoothed her wet tangled hair back with her hands.He looked down upon her with grave, kind sympathy, but he did not know exactly what to say.'Is it lunch-time?' said she, trying to believe that he did not see the traces of her tears and the disturbance of her features - that he had not seen her lying, sobbing her heart out there.'I don't know.I was going home to lunch.But - you must let me say it - I couldn't go on when I saw your distress.Has anything happened? - anything in which I can help you, I mean; for, of course, I've no right to make the inquiry, if it is any private sorrow, in which I can be of no use.' She had exhausted herself so much with crying, that she felt as if she could neither stand nor walk just yet.She sate down on the seat, and sighed, and turned so pale, he thought she was going to faint.'Wait a moment,' said he, quite unnecessarily, for she could not have stirred;and he was off like a shot to some spring of water that he knew of in the wood, and in a minute or two he returned with careful steps, bringing a little in a broad green leaf, turned into an impromptu cup.Little as it was, it did her good.'Thank you!' she said: 'I can walk back now, in a short time.Don't stop.' 'You must let me,' said he: 'my mother wouldn't like me to leave you to come home alone, while you are so faint.' So they remained in silence for a little while; he, breaking off and examining one or two abnormal leaves of the ash-tree, partly from the custom of his nature, partly to give her time to recover.'Papa is going to be married again,' said she, at length.She could not have said why she told him this; an instant before she spoke, she had no intention of doing so.He dropped the leaf he held in his hand, turned round, and looked at her.Her poor wistful eyes were filling with tears as they met his, with a dumb appeal for sympathy.Her look was much more eloquent than her words.There was a momentary pause before he replied, and then it was more because he felt that he must say something than that he was in any doubt as to the answer to the question he asked.'You are sorry for it?' She did not take her eyes away from his, as her quivering lips formed the word 'Yes,' though her voice made no sound.He was silent again now; looking on the ground, kicking softly at a loose pebble with his foot.His thoughts did not come readily to the surface in the shape of words; nor was he apt at giving comfort till he saw his way clear to the real source from which consolation must come.At last he spoke, - almost as if he was reasoning out the matter with himself.'It seems as if there might be cases where - setting the question of love entirely on one side - it must be almost a duty to find some one to be a substitute for the mother....I can believe,' said he, in a different tone of voice, and looking at Molly afresh, 'that this step may be greatly for your father's happiness - it may relieve him from many cares, and may give him a pleasant companion.' 'He had me.You don't know what we were to each other - at least, what he was to me,' she added, humbly.'Still he must have thought it for the best, or he wouldn't have done it.
He may have thought it the best for your sake even more than for his own.' 'That is what he tried to convince me of.' Roger began kicking the pebble again.He had not got hold of the right end of the clue.Suddenly he looked up.'I want to tell you of a girl I know.Her mother died when she was about sixteen - the eldest of a large family.From that time - all though the bloom of her youth - she gave herself up to her father first as his comforter, afterwards as his companion, friend, secretary - anything you like.He was a man with a great deal of business on hand, and often came home only to set to afresh to preparations for the next day's work.Harriet was always there, ready to help, to talk, or to be silent.It went on for eight or ten years in this way; and then her father married again, - a woman not many years older than Harriet herself.Well - they are just the happiest set of people I know - you wouldn't have thought it likely, would you?' She was listening, but she had no heart to say anything.Yet she was interested in this little story of Harriet - a girl who had been so much to her father, more than Molly in this early youth of hers could have been to Mr Gibson.
'How was it?' she sighed out at last.'Harriet thought of her father's happiness before she thought of her own,'
Roger answered, with something of severe brevity.Molly needed the bracing.