and never once thought of her beauty; who was alone, and never seemed
lonely: she was a perpetual problem and fascination to him. Dr. Eben
was not usually given to concerning himself much as to other people's
opinion of him: but he found himself for ever wondering what Hetty
Gunn thought of him; whether she were beginning to lose any of her old
prejudice against him; and whether, after this seaside idyl were over,
he should ever see her again. The more he pondered, the less he could
solve the question. No wonder. The simple truth was that Hetty was not
thinking about him at all. She had accepted the whole situation with
frankness and good sense: she found him kind, helpful, cheery, and
entertaining; the embarrassments she had feared, did not arise, and she
was very glad of it. She often said to herself: "The doctor is very
sensible. He does not show any foolish feeling of resentment;" and she
felt a sincere and increasing gratitude to him, because Sally and her
child were fast regaining health under his care. But, beyond this, Hetty
did not occupy her thoughts with Dr. Eben. It had never been her way to
think about men, as most women think about them: good comradeship seemed
to be all that she was capable of towards a man. Dr. Eben said this to
himself hundreds of times each day; and then hundreds of other times
each day, as he watched the looks which she bent on the baby in her
arms, he knew that he had said what was not true; that there must be
unstirred depths in her nature, which only the great forces of love
could move. All this time Dr. Eben fancied that he was simply analyzing
Hetty as a psychological study. He would have admitted frankly to any
one, that she interested him more than any woman he had ever seen,
puzzled him more, occupied his thoughts more; but that he could be in
love with this rather eccentric middle-aged woman, beautiful though she
was, Dr. Eben would have warmly denied. His ideal maiden, the woman whom
he had been for ten years confidently expecting some day to find, woo,
and win, was quite unlike Hetty; unlike even what Hetty must have been