What began as a grateful affection for her cousin was grown into love, as Georgiana changed from a young girl into a young lady. But this was a secret known only to herself, certain as she was that the Colonel would never see her as anything but his young, callow cousin. And now Colonel Fitzwilliam had found a woman who possessed all of those arts and elegancies that Georgiana knew she could never attain. Indeed, the Colonel was enchanted by her ease and grace, her conversation, her wit, her dress—in short, Miss Crawford appeared to be everything worthy of such a man. Georgiana reflected, as she stroked the cat’s silky white fur, that she had only to inure herself to the inevitable, and wish them happy with all of what was left of her heart.

CHAP. 3.

IN THE SAME YEAR that he and Georgiana had lost their father, it happened that, in honour of her tenth birthday, Mr. Darcy gave his sister a kitten. He was sensible that the loss of a parent could be but insufficiently recompensed by the substitution, but wished nevertheless to shew his sister by gesture—where words were inexpressible—that he understood her loss and was eager, as her brother and ward, to do anything which might help to soften her sadness. Mr. Darcy was aware of the advantages a companion would secure to Georgiana, in his increasingly frequent and lengthy absences. At an early date soon thereafter, he conferred with the house-keeper, the kindly Mrs. Reynolds, secured her approbation, and the kitten was duly got and established at Pemberley.

The animal had been born to a tenant family, and was remarkable in being all white and having one eye of blue and one of green. The kitten was also completely deaf, a defect apparent to Georgiana within a few days of her having acquired it. What the little creature lacked in hearing was more than recompensed by the sweetness of its temper and devotion to Georgiana following the loss of its own mother. Georgiana, to the approbation of her French-mistress, had named the kitten Mademoiselle Blanche. From the very first hour, little Blanche was become her constant companion and confidante, superintending masters, reclining on the piano-forte, and accompanying Georgiana to her apartment in the evening. Her brother was pleased, and, it must be owned, relieved to have such comforts for his sister so perfectly secured.