had hardly noticed me in ail those years, came panting after the coach to give me a little nosegay of geraniums, and told me I had been the light of his eyes—indeed the old man said so !—what a heart I had then !
And could I help it, if with all this, and the coming to the little school, and the unexpected sight of the poor children outside waving their hats and bonnets to me, and of a grey-haired gentleman and lady, whose daughter I had helped to teach and at whose house I had visited (who were said to be the proudest people in all that country), caring for nothing but calling out, “Good bye, Esther. May you be very happy !” — could I help it if I was quite bowed down in the coach by myself, and said “O, I am so thankful, I am so thankful !” many times over !
But of course I soon considered that I must not take tears where I was going, after all that had been done for me. Therefore, of course, I made myself sob less, and persuaded myself to be quiet by saying very often, “Esther, now, you really must ! This will not do !” I cheered myself up pretty well at last, though I am afraid I was longer about it than I ought to have been ; and when I had cooled my eyes with lavender water, it was time to watch for London.
I was quite persuaded that we were there, when we were ten miles off ; and when we really were there, that we should never get there. However, when Ave began to jolt upon a stone pavement, and particularly when every other conveyance seemed to be running into us and we seemed to be running into every other conveyance, I began to believe that we really were approaching the end of our journey. Very soon afterwards we stopped.
A young gentleman who had inked himself by accident, addressed me from the pavement, and said “I am from Kenge and Carboy's, miss, of Lincoln's Inn.”
“If you please, sir,” said I.
He was very obliging ; and as he handed me into a fly, after superintending the removal of my boxes, I asked him whether there was a great fire anywhere ? For the streets were so full of dense brown smoke that scarcely anything was to be seen.
“O dear no, miss,” he said. “This is a London particular.”
I had never heard of such a thing.
“A fog, miss,” said the young gentleman.
“O indeed !” said I.
We drove slowly through the dirtiest and darkest streets that ever were seen in the world (I thought), and in such a distracting state of confusion that I wondered how the people kept their senses, until we passed into sudden quietude under an old gateway, and drove on through a silent square until we came to an odd nook in a corner, where there was an entrance up a steep broad flight of stairs, like an entrance to a church. And there really was a churchyard, outside under some cloisters, for I saw the gravestones from the staircase window.
This was Kenge and Carboy's. The young gentleman showed me through an outer office into Mr. Kenge's room—there was no one in it—and politely put an arm-chair for me by the fire. He then called my attention to a little looking-glass, hanging from a nail on one side of the chimney-piece.
“In case you should wish to look at yourself, miss, after the journey, as you're going before the Chancellor. Not that it's requisite, I am sure,” said the young gentleman civilly.