heart were breaking.

Suddenly, in the midst of that foolish paroxysm, I felt a light hand
upon my shoulder, and looking up, saw a face bending over me, a face
full of sympathy and compassion.

O Milly Darrell, my darling, my love, how am I to describe you as
you appeared before my eyes that night? How poorly can any words of
mine paint you in your girlish beauty, as you looked down upon me in
that dimly-lighted schoolroom with divine compassion in your dark
eloquent eyes!

Just at that moment I was so miserable and so inclined to be sulky
in my wretchedness, that even the vision of that bright face gave me
little pleasure. I pushed away the gentle hand ungraciously, and
rose hastily from my seat.

'Pray don't cry any more,' said the young lady; 'I can't bear to
hear you cry like that.'

'I'm not going to cry any more,' I answered, drying my eyes in a
hasty, angry way. 'It was very foolish of me to cry at all; but this
place did look so cheerless and dreary, and I began to think of my
father and mother, and all I had left behind me at home.'

'Of course it was only natural you should think of them. Everything
does seem so bleak and dismal the first night; but you are very
happy to have so many at home. I have only papa.'

'Indeed!' I said, not feeling deeply interested in her affairs.