Dear little attic room! close against the sky--so close, that many a
time the rain came pattering in, or the sun beating down upon the
roof made it like a furnace, or the snow on the leads drifted so high
as to obscure the window--yet how merry, how happy, we have been
there! How often have we both looked back upon it in after days!



CHAPTER IV

Winter came early and sudden that year.

It was to me a long, dreary season, worse even than my winters
inevitably were. I never stirred from my room, and never saw anybody
but my father, Dr. Jessop, and Jael. At last I took courage to say
to the former that I wished he would send John Halifax up some day.

"What does thee want the lad for?"

"Only to see him."

"Pshaw! a lad out o' the tan-yard is not fit company for thee. Let
him alone; he'll do well enough if thee doesn't try to lift him out
of his place."

Lift John Halifax out of his "place"! I agreed with my father that
that was impossible; but then we evidently differed widely in our
definition of what the "place" might be. So, afraid of doing him
harm, and feeling how much his future depended on his favour with his
master, I did not discuss the matter. Only at every possible