 traveller, and find such a blessed
sense of rest!«
    I felt so deeply what I said, it affected me so sincerely, that my voice
failed, and I covered my face with my hand, and broke into tears. I write the
truth. Whatever contradictions and inconsistencies there were within me, as
there are within so many of us; whatever might have been so different, and so
much better; whatever I had done, in which I had perversely wandered away from
the voice of my own heart; I knew nothing of. I only knew that I was fervently
in earnest, when I felt the rest and peace of having Agnes near me.
    In her placid sisterly manner; with her beaming eyes; with her tender voice;
and with that sweet composure, which had long ago made the house that held her
quite a sacred place to me; she soon won me from this weakness, and led me on to
tell all that had happened since our last meeting.
    »And there is not another word to tell, Agnes,« said I, when I had made an
end of my confidence. »Now, my reliance is on you.«
    »But it must not be on me, Trotwood,« returned Agnes with a pleasant smile.
»It must be on some one else.«
    »On Dora?« said I.
    »Assuredly.«
    »Why, I have not mentioned, Agnes,« said I, a little embarrassed, »that Dora
is rather difficult to - I would not, for the world, say, to rely upon, because
she is the soul of purity and truth - but rather difficult to - I hardly know
how to express it, really, Agnes. She is a timid little thing, and easily
disturbed and frightened. Some time ago, before her father's death, when I
thought it right to mention to her - but I'll tell you, if you will bear with
me, how it was.«
    Accordingly, I told Agnes about my declaration of poverty, about the
cookery-book, the housekeeping accounts, and all the rest of it.
    »Oh, Trotwood!« she remonstrated, with a smile. »Just your old headlong way!
You might have been in earnest in striving to get on in the world, without being
so very sudden with a timid, loving, inexperienced girl. Poor Dora!«
    I never heard such sweet forbearing kindness expressed in a voice, as she
expressed in making this reply. It was as if I had seen her admiringly and
tenderly embracing
