She makes a pretence of keeping her novel and a little dictionary and grammar in a bag, and hides them when any one appears.

But Paul has already begun to tease her about her new and mysterious occupation, and I foresee that he will presently spend the greater part of his mornings in teaching her.

I never saw anybody attract him so much; she is absolutely different from anything he has seen before; and, as he says, the mixture of ignorance and genius in her--yes, genius; don't be startled!--is most stimulating to the imagination.' * * * * * '_August_ 22.
'During the last few days I have not been seeing so much of Miss Bretherton as before.

She has been devoting herself to her family, and Paul and I have been doing our pictures.

We cannot persuade her to take any very large dose of galleries; it seems to me that her thoughts are set on one subject--and one subject only--and while she is in this first stage of intensity, it is not likely that anything else will have a chance.
'It is amusing to study the dissatisfaction of the uncle and aunt with the turn things have taken since they left London.