Once a week he permitted himself the delight of five-o'clock tea in
Mrs. Sheldon's drawing-room, on which occasions he brought Charlotte all
the news of his small literary world, and a good deal of useful
information out of the books he had been reading. When Mr. Sheldon
pleased to invite him to dinner on Sunday he gladly accepted the
invitation, and this Sunday dinner became in due course an established
institution.
"You may as well make this your home on a Sunday," said Mr. Sheldon one
day, with careless cordiality; "I dare say you find Sunday dull in your
lodgings."
"Yes, papa," cried Charlotte, "he does find it very dull--dreadfully
dull--don't you, Valentine?"
And she regarded him with that pretty, tender, almost motherly look,
which young ladies who are engaged are apt to bestow on their affianced
lovers.
Miss Halliday was very grateful to her stepfather for his kindness to her
landless adorer, and showed her appreciation of his conduct in many
pretty little caressing ways, which would have been infinitely bewitching
to a person of sentiment.
Unfortunately Mr. Sheldon was not sentimental, and any exhibition of
feeling appeared to have an irritating effect upon his nerves. There were
times when he shrank from some little sudden caress of Charlotte's as
from the sting of an adder. Aversion, surprise, fear--what was it that
showed in the expression of his face at these moments? Whatever that
strange look was, it departed too quickly for analysis; and the
stockbroker thanked his stepdaughter for her little affectionate
demonstration with his wonted smile--the smile he smiled on Change, the
smile which was sometimes on his lips when his mind was a nest of
scorpions.
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