Little as he desired it, he could
not help using a tone which seemed severe rather than tenderly
trustful. Absorbed in his great idea, conscious that it had
regulated every detail in his treatment of Jane since she came to
live with him, he forgot that the girl herself was by no means
adequately prepared to receive the solemn injunctions which he now
delivered to her. His language was as general as were the ideas of
beneficent activity which he desired to embody in Jane's future; but
instead of inspiring her with his own zeal, he afflicted her with
grievous spiritual trouble. For a time she could only feel that
something great and hard and high was suddenly required of her; the
old man's look seemed to keep repeating, 'Are you worthy?' The
tremor of bygone days came back upon her as she listened, the
anguish of timidity, the heart-sinking, with which she had been wont
to strain her attention when Mrs. Peckover or Clem imposed a harsh
task.
One thing alone had she grasped as soon as it was uttered; one word
of reassurance she could recall when she sat down in solitude to
collect her thoughts. Her grandfather had mentioned that Sidney
Kirkwood already knew this secret.
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