In many ways, therefore, the party had gained by Ottilie’s arrival.  The Captain and Edward kept regularly to the hours, even to the minutes, for their general meeting together.  They never kept the others waiting for them either for dinner or tea, or for their walks; and they were in less haste, especially in the evenings, to leave the table.  This did not escape Charlotte’s observation; she watched them both, to see whether one more than the other was the occasion of it.  But she could not perceive any difference.  They had both become more companionable.  In their conversation they seemed to consider what was best adapted to interest Ottilie; what was most on a level with her capacities and her general knowledge.  If she left the room when they were reading or telling stories, they would wait till she returned.  They had grown softer and altogether more united.

In return for this, Ottilie’s anxiety to be of use increased every day; the more she came to understand the house, its inmates, and their circumstances, the more eagerly she entered into everything, caught every look and every motion; half a word, a sound, was enough for her.  With her calm attentiveness, and her easy, unexcited activity, she was always the same.  Sitting, rising up, going, coming, fetching, carrying, returning to her place again, it was all in the most perfect repose; a constant change, a constant agreeable movement; while, at the same time, she went about so lightly that her step was almost inaudible.

This cheerful obligingness in Ottilie gave Charlotte the greatest pleasure.  There was one thing, however, which she did not exactly like, of which she had to speak to her.  “It is very polite in you,” she said one day to her, “when people let anything fall from their hand, to be so quick in stooping and picking it up for them; at the same time, it is a sort of confession that they have a right to require such attention, and in the world we are expected to be careful to whom we pay it.  Toward women, I will not prescribe any rule as to how you should conduct yourself.  You are young.  To those above you, and older than you, services of this sort are a duty; toward your equals they are polite; to those younger than yourself and your inferiors you may show yourself kind and good-natured by such things—­only it is not becoming in a young lady to do them for men.”

“I will try to forget the habit,” replied Ottilie; “I think, however, you will in the meantime forgive me for my want of manners, when I tell you how I came by it.  We were taught history at school; I have not gained as much out of it as I ought, for I never knew what use I was to make of it; a few little things, however, made a deep impression upon me, among which was the following:  When Charles the First of England was standing before his so-called judges, the gold top came off the stick which he had in his hand, and fell down.  Accustomed as he had been on such occasions to have everything