Farquhar was thinking of Ruth
for a wife. She craved with stinging curiosity to hear something
of their affairs every day; partly because the torture which such
intelligence gave was almost a relief from the deadness of her
heart to all other interests.
And so spring (gioventu dell'anno) came back to her, bringing all
the contrasts which spring alone can bring to add to the
heaviness of the soul. The little winged creatures filled the air
with bursts of joy; the vegetation came bright and hopefully
onwards, without any check of nipping frost. The ash-trees in the
Bradshaws' garden were out in leaf by the middle of May, which
that year wore more the aspect of summer than most Junes do. The
sunny weather mocked Jemima, and the unusual warmth oppressed her
physical powers. She felt very weak and languid; she was acutely
sensible that no one else noticed her want of strength; father,
mother, all seemed too full of other things to care, if, as she
believed, her life was waning. She herself felt glad that it was
so. But her delicacy was not unnoticed by all. Her mother often
anxiously asked her husband if he did not think Jemima was
looking ill; nor did his affirmation to the contrary satisfy her,
as most of his affirmations did. She thought every morning,
before she got up, how she could tempt Jemima to eat, by ordering
some favourite dainty for dinner; in many other little ways she
tried to minister to her child; but the poor girl's own abrupt
irritability of temper had made her mother afraid of openly
speaking to her about her health.
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