The breakfast was taken away, and that meal over, it was the general custom of uncle and niece to separate, and not to meet again till dinner; but to-day the niece, instead of quitting the room, went to the window-seat, and sat down there. Mr. Helstone looked round uneasily once or twice, as if he wished her away; but she was gazing from the window, and did not seem to mind him: so he continued the perusal of his morning paper--a particularly interesting one it chanced to be, as new movements had just taken place in the Peninsula, and certain columns of the journal were rich in long dispatches from General Lord Wellington. He little knew, meantime, what thoughts were busy in his niece's mind--thoughts the conversation of the past half-hour had revived but not generated; tumultuous were they now, as disturbed bees in a hive, but it was years since they had first made their cells in her brain.
She was reviewing his character, his disposition, repeating his sentiments on marriage. Many a time had she reviewed them before, and sounded the gulf between her own mind and his; and then, on the other side of the wide and deep chasm, she had seen, and she now saw, another figure standing beside her uncle's--a strange shape, dim, sinister, scarcely earthly--the half-remembered image of her own father, James Helstone, Matthewson Helstone's brother.
Rumours had reached her ear of what that father's character was; old servants had dropped hints; she knew, too, that he was not a good man, and that he was never kind to her. She recollected--a dark recollection it was--some weeks that she had spent with him in a great town somewhere, when she had had no maid to dress her or take care of her; when she had been shut up, day and night, in a high garret-room, without a carpet, with a bare uncurtained bed, and scarcely any other furniture; when he went out early every morning, and often forgot to return and give her her dinner during the day, and at night, when he came back, was like a madman, furious, terrible, or--still more painful--like an idiot, imbecile, senseless. She knew she had fallen ill in this place, and that one night, when she was very sick he had come raving into the room, and said he would kill her, for she was a burden to him. Her screams had brought aid; and from the moment she was then rescued from him she had never seen him, except as a dead man in his coffin.

The breakfast was taken away. Usually uncle and niece would now separate until dinner; but today the niece, instead of quitting the room, went to the window-seat, and sat there. Mr. Helstone looked round uneasily once or twice, as if he wished her away; but she was gazing from the window, and did not seem to mind him. So he continued reading his morning paper - a particularly interesting one, as it contained long dispatches from General Lord Wellington. He little knew what tumultuous thoughts were busy in his niece's mind, like disturbed bees in a hive.
She was reviewing his character and his sentiments on marriage. Many a time had she reviewed them before, and sounded the gulf between her own mind and his; and then, on the other side of the chasm, she had seen, and now saw, another figure standing beside her uncle: a strange, sinister shape - the half-remembered image of her own father, James Helstone, Matthewson Helstone's brother.
She had heard rumours of that father's character; old servants had dropped hints; she knew that he was not a good man, and that he was never kind to her. She recollected some dismal weeks that she had spent with him in a great town somewhere, with no maid to take care of her. She had been shut up, day and night, in a high garret-room, without a carpet, with a bare bed, and scarcely any other furniture. He went out early every morning, and often forgot to return and give her dinner during the day; and at night, when he came back, was like a madman, furious, terrible, or - still more painful - like an idiot, senseless. She knew she had fallen ill in this place, and that one night, when she was very sick, he had come raving into the room, and said he would kill her, for she was a burden to him. Her screams had brought aid; and from the moment she was rescued from him she had never seen him again, except as a dead man in his coffin.
