We were always together at the table, of course.

But the evenings that Richard was with my uncle, I thought it unnecessary for me to stay down-stairs.

Besides, now, they almost always had writing or business affairs to occupy them.
It was natural that I should go away, and no one seemed to notice it.
Richard still brought me books, still arranged things for me with my uncle (as in the matter of going to church alone), but we had no more talks together by ourselves, and he never asked me to go anywhere with him.

At Christmas he sent me beautiful flowers, and a picture for my room.

Sophie I rarely saw, and only longed never to see Benny was permitted to come and spend a day with me, at great intervals, and I enjoyed him more than his mother or his uncle.
One day my uncle went down to his office in his usual health; at three o'clock he was brought home senseless, and only lived till midnight, dying without recovering speech or consciousness.