The grave affection of his manner restrained her, and his presence soothed the flutter of spirits; though she still devoted herself with a sort of wilfulness to bear all the blame, until he said, ‘This is foolish, Albinia; it is of no use to look at anything but the simple truth. This affection of the spine must be constitutional, and if neglect have aggravated the evil, it must date from a much earlier period than since she has been under your charge. If any one be to blame, it is myself, for the apathy that prevented me from placing the poor things under proper care, but I was hardly then aware that Maria’s solicitude is always in the wrong place.’ ‘But everybody declares that it was always visible, and that no one could look at her without seeing that she was crooked.’ ‘Apres le coup,’ said Mr. Kendal. ‘I grant you that a person of more experience might perhaps have detected what was amiss sooner than you did, but you have only to regret the ignorance you shared with us all; and you did your utmost according to your judgment.’ ‘And a cruel utmost it was,’ said Albinia; ‘it is frightful to think what I inflicted, and she endured in silence, because I had not treated her so that she could bear to speak to me.’ ‘That is over now,’ said Mr. Kendal, ‘you have conquered her at last. Pride could not hold out against such sweetness.’ ‘It is her generosity,’ said Albinia; ‘I always knew she was the best of them all, if one could but get at her.’ ‘What have you done to her? I never heard her say half so much as she voluntarily said to me just now.’ ‘Poor dear! I believe the key of her heart was lost when Edmund died, and so all within was starved,’ said Albinia. ‘Yes,’ as his eyes were suddenly raised and fixed on her, ‘I got to that at last. No one has ever understood her, since she lost her brother.’ ‘She has a certain likeness to him. I knew she was his favourite sister; but such a child as she was--’ ‘Children have deeper souls than you give them credit for,’ said Albinia. ‘Yes, Edmund, you and Sophy are very much alike! You had your study, and poor Sophy enclosed herself in a perpetual cocoon of study atmosphere, and so you never found each other out till to-day.’ Perhaps it was the influence of the frantic fit that caused her to make so direct a thrust; but Mr. Kendal was not offended. There was a good deal in the mere absence from habitual scenes and associations; he always left a great deal of reserve behind him at Bayford. ‘You may be right, Albinia,’ he said; ‘I sometimes think that amongst us you are like the old poet’s “star confined into a tomb.”’ Such a compliment was a pretty reward for her temerity.