"How can you read so to stupid old nurse?" resumed the young girl; "I don't like Baxter." "She likes it, my darling, and she is blind, and cannot read for herself." "But if I were as jealous of you as you are of me," continued she whom the old woman had called Ducky, "_I_ should not like it." She laid her curled head on the shoulder of the beautiful Miriam, who stooped and gave her a long embrace. Then they walked up and down the garden, arm in arm, talking in lower tones. I turned to ask Cornelius who were the ladies, and I found that he stood behind me, looking down intently. "Cornelius," I said, "did not the lady they call Miriam, come and see me when I was ill?" "Yes, child," he replied, without looking at me, and returning to his easel as he spoke. "Who is she?" "Miss Russell, the niece of our tenant." "Who is the other one?" "Her sister." "Have they been here long, Cornelius?" "They came the week you were taken ill." "Did Miss Russell come and see me often?" "Every day; one night she sat up with you." "She has not come of late, Cornelius?" "No," he replied, still without looking at me; "she came one day unsought, and left off coming as soon as you were out of danger." "How good she seems to her nurse!" "She is all goodness." "And how fond of her sister!" "She is wrapt up in her." "And yet she is much more beautiful, is she not, Cornelius?" I added, again looking down into the garden, where the sisters now sat in the bower. Cornelius left his easel to come and look too. "Nonsense, child!" he replied, smiling, "the little one is much the prettier of the two. Ask Kate," he added, as the door opened, and his sister entered. "Humph," said Miss O'Reilly, on being appealed to, "your eyes are better than mine, Cornelius, to see the difference at this distance; but I think Miss Ducky a pretty little roly-poly thing, and her sister a fine woman, though rather icy." "Roly-poly!" indignantly echoed Cornelius, "why, Kate, she is exquisitely pretty!" "Don't you fear the child may take cold?" said Miss O'Reilly, coming up to the window, which she closed with a mistrustful look, that seemed to say to it--"I wish _you_ were not there." I spent about an hour more with Cornelius, who did his best to entertain me, by talking of the gallery, then took me back to my room, where Kate kept me company. I questioned her concerning Miss Russell, but learned little. She supposed it was very kind of her to come, though to be sure I did not want her; and cool people were often peculiar; and other things which I did not understand. I asked if any one else had come. "Mr. Smalley, who has been disappointed of the Dorsetshire curacy after all, and Mr. Trim came several times." "I hope Mr. Trim did not kiss me," I said, uneasily, for this amiable individual still persisted in being affectionate to me.