He was
growing utterly weary of the petulant temper of which he was
never certain; of the reception which varied day after day,
according to the mood she was in and the thoughts that were
uppermost; and he was almost startled to find how very glad he
was that the little girls and Mrs. Denbigh were coming home. His
was a character to bask in peace; and lovely, quiet Ruth, with
her low tones and soft replies, her delicate waving movements,
appeared to him the very type of what a woman should be--a calm,
serene soul, fashioning the body to angelic grace.
It was, therefore, with no slight interest that Mr. Farquhar
inquired daily after the health of little Leonard. He asked at
the Bensons' house; and Sally answered him, with swollen and
tearful eyes, that the child was very bad--very bad indeed. He
asked at the doctor's; and the doctor told him, in a few short
words, that "it was only a bad kind of measles and that the lad
might have a struggle for it, but he thought he would get
through. Vigorous children carried their force into everything;
never did things by halves; if they were ill, they were sure to
be in a high fever directly; if they were well, there was no
peace in the house for their rioting. For his part," continued
the doctor, "he thought he was glad he had had no children; as
far as he could judge, they were pretty much all plague and no
profit." But as he ended his speech he sighed; and Mr.
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