The sort of reverent pleasure with which Caroline listened--so sincere, so quiet, yet so evident--stirred the elder lady's faculties to gentle animation. Rarely, probably, had she, with her chill, repellent outside, her diffident mien, and incommunicative habits, known what it was to excite in one whom she herself could love feelings of earnest affection and admiring esteem. Delightful, doubtless, was the consciousness that a young girl towards whom it seemed, judging by the moved expression of her eyes and features, her heart turned with almost a fond impulse, looked up to her as an instructor, and clung to her as a friend. With a somewhat more marked accent of interest than she often permitted herself to use, she said, as she bent towards her youthful companion, and put aside from her forehead a pale brown curl which had strayed from the confining comb, "I do hope this sweet air blowing from the hill will do you good, my dear Caroline. I wish I could see something more of colour in these cheeks; but perhaps you were never florid?"
"I had red cheeks once," returned Miss Helstone, smiling. "I remember a year--two years ago--when I used to look in the glass, I saw a different face there to what I see now--rounder and rosier. But when we are young," added the girl of eighteen, "our minds are careless and our lives easy."

The sincere pleasure with which Caroline listened animated the elder lady. With her chill, diffident manner, and incommunicative habits, she had seldom known what it was to stir affection in another. It seemed that her heart was moved with a fond impulse towards Caroline, who looked up to her as an instructor, and clung to her as a friend. With more marked interest than usual, she said, as she put aside from Caroline's forehead a straying curl, "I do hope this sweet breeze will do you good, my dear Caroline. I wish I could see more colour in these cheeks; but perhaps you were never florid?"
"I had red cheeks once," returned Miss Helstone, smiling. "A year - two years ago - when I used to look in the glass, I saw a rounder, rosier face. But when we are young," added the girl of eighteen, "our minds are careless and our lives easy."
