" I
do not know whether Charlotte noticed anything, but she knelt at some
distance from him during the rest of his stay. He assures me that this
was the only spiteful thing he did during the whole time he was at
Battersby.
When he went up to his bedroom, in which, to do them justice, they had
given him a fire, he noticed what indeed he had noticed as soon as he was
shown into it on his arrival, that there was an illuminated card framed
and glazed over his bed with the words, "Be the day weary or be the day
long, at last it ringeth to evensong." He wondered to himself how such
people could leave such a card in a room in which their visitors would
have to spend the last hours of their evening, but he let it alone.
"There's not enough difference between 'weary' and 'long' to warrant an
'or,'" he said, "but I suppose it is all right." I believe Christina had
bought the card at a bazaar in aid of the restoration of a neighbouring
church, and having been bought it had got to be used--besides, the
sentiment was so touching and the illumination was really lovely. Anyhow,
no irony could be more complete than leaving it in my hero's bedroom,
though assuredly no irony had been intended.
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