His wife
had watched over him day and night with unspeakable tenderness and
devotion, though I fear he never showed her much gratitude in return;
he had been too much used to think of woman as mere housewifely
slaves.
She had called me in to help in her terror at the last symptoms of
approaching death, and I heard him mutter to her: 'Thou hast come to
be a tolerable housewife. I have taken care thou dost not lavish all
on beggarly stranger.'
At least so the words came back on me afterwards; but we were
absorbed in our attendance on him in his extremity, and when death
had come at last I had to lead her away drooping and utterly spent.
Alas! it was not exhaustion alone, she had imbibed the dreadful
disease, and for another three weeks she hung between life and death.
Her stepdaughter left her bed, and was sent away to the country-house
to recover, under the care of the steward's wife, before Millicent
could open her eyes or lift her head from her pillow; but she did at
last begin to revive, and it was in those days of slow convalescence
that she and I became very dear to one another.
We could talk together of home, as she loved to call England, and of
her little daughter, of whom Annora sent me daily reports, which drew
out the mother's smiles. She could not be broken-hearted for Mynheer
van Hunker, nor did she profess so to be, but she said he had been
kind to her--much kinder since she had really tried to please him;
and that, she said--and then broke off--was after he--your brother--
my lord--- And she went no further, but I knew well afterwards what
that chance meeting had done for her--that meeting which, with such
men as I had too often seen at Paris, might have been fatal for ever
to her peace of mind and purity of conscience by renewing vain
regrets, not to be indulged without a stain.
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