They felt that happiness was no longer to be enjoyed within the limits of their own circle.

Study and conversation lost their charms; and if they laughed now, the smile never extended beyond the tips of their lips.

The young people often wished they possessed Fortunatus's cap, or Aladdin's wonderful lamp, to transport them from the one dwelling to the other; but as they could obtain no such occult mode of conveyance, there was no remedy for their miseries but patience.

To the Wolstons this interval of compulsory separation was particularly irksome, as this was the first time in their lives that they had been entirely isolated for any length of time.
At Falcon's Nest, Ernest was the most popular member of the domestic circle.

His astronomical predilections made him the Sir Oracle of the storm, and he was constantly being asked for information relative to the progress and probable duration of the rains.