She was evidently grateful for such a profession. "See him, miss, first.
THEN believe it!" I felt forthwith a new impatience to see him;
it was the beginning of a curiosity that, for all the next hours,
was to deepen almost to pain. Mrs. Grose was aware, I could judge,
of what she had produced in me, and she followed it up with assurance.
"You might as well believe it of the little lady. Bless her,"
she added the next moment--"LOOK at her!"

I turned and saw that Flora, whom, ten minutes before, I had established
in the schoolroom with a sheet of white paper, a pencil, and a copy
of nice "round o's," now presented herself to view at the open door.
She expressed in her little way an extraordinary detachment from
disagreeable duties, looking to me, however, with a great childish light
that seemed to offer it as a mere result of the affection she had conceived
for my person, which had rendered necessary that she should follow me.
I needed nothing more than this to feel the full force of Mrs. Grose's
comparison, and, catching my pupil in my arms, covered her with kisses
in which there was a sob of atonement.

Nonetheless, the rest of the day I watched for further occasion
to approach my colleague, especially as, toward evening,
I began to fancy she rather sought to avoid me. I overtook her,
I remember, on the staircase; we went down together, and at the
bottom I detained her, holding her there with a hand on her arm.
"I take what you said to me at noon as a declaration that
YOU'VE never known him to be bad."

She threw back her head; she had clearly, by this time,
and very honestly, adopted an attitude. "Oh, never known him--