In
the presence of Ida (who was now known, by his wish, as Miss
Woodstock) Abraham's hard voice found for itself a more modest and
musical key.
He began--novel sensation--to look upon himself as a respectable
old gentleman; the grey patches on his head were grateful to him
from that point of view. If only he had been able to gather round
his granddaughter and himself a circle of equally respectable
friends and acquaintances, he would have enjoyed complete
satisfaction. Two or three at most there were, whom he could venture
to bring over with him from the old life to the new. For Ida he
could as yet provide no companionship at all.
But Ida did not feel the want. Since the day of her coming to the
new house her life had been very full; so much was passing within,
that she desired to escape, rather than discover, new distractions
in the world around her. For the week or so during which Waymark had
lain ill, her courage had triumphed over the sufferings to which she
was herself a prey; the beginning of his recovery brought about a
reaction in her state, and for some days she fell into a depressed
feebleness almost as extreme as on the first morning of her freedom.
It distressed her to be spoken to, and her own lips were all but
mute.
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