2. JULY THE ELEVENTH

On the Monday subsequent to their arrival in Budmouth, Owen Graye
attended at Mr. Gradfield's office to enter upon his duties, and his
sister was left in their lodgings alone for the first time.

Despite the sad occurrences of the preceding autumn, an unwonted
cheerfulness pervaded her spirit throughout the day. Change of
scene--and that to untravelled eyes--conjoined with the sensation of
freedom from supervision, revived the sparkle of a warm young nature
ready enough to take advantage of any adventitious restoratives.
Point-blank grief tends rather to seal up happiness for a time than
to produce that attrition which results from griefs of anticipation
that move onward with the days: these may be said to furrow away
the capacity for pleasure.

Her expectations from the advertisement began to be extravagant. A
thriving family, who had always sadly needed her, was already
definitely pictured in her fancy, which, in its exuberance, led her
on to picturing its individual members, their possible peculiarities,
virtues, and vices, and obliterated for a time the recollection that
she would be separated from her brother.

Thus musing, as she waited for his return in the evening, her eyes
fell on her left hand. The contemplation of her own left fourth
finger by symbol-loving girlhood of this age is, it seems, very
frequently, if not always, followed by a peculiar train of romantic
ideas. Cytherea's thoughts, still playing about her future, became
directed into this romantic groove. She leant back in her chair,
and taking hold of the fourth finger, which had attracted her