become possessed by an idea that there was
something in this girl which could hardly be
set forth in a tabular form. Her capacity of
definition might be easily stated at a very
low figure, her mathematical knowledge at
nothing; yet he was not sure that if he had
been required, for example, to tick her off
into columns in a parliamentary return, he
would have quite known how to divide her.

In some stages of his manufacture of the
human fabric, the processes of Time are very
rapid. Young Thomas and Sissy being both
at such a stage of their working up, these
changes were effected in a year or two; while
Mr. Gradgrind himself seemed stationary in
his course, and underwent no alteration.

Except one, which was apart from his
necessary progress through the mill. Time
hustled him into a little noisy and rather
dirty machinery, in a bye corner, and made
him Member of Parliament for Coketown:
one of the respected members for ounce weights
and measures, one of the representatives of
the multiplication table, one of the deaf
honorable gentlemen, dumb honorable
gentlemen, blind honorable gentlemen, lame
honorable gentlemen, dead honorable
gentlemen, to every other consideration. Else
wherefore live we in a Christian land, eighteen
hundred and odd years after our Master?

All this while, Louisa had been passing on,
so quiet and reserved, and so much given to
watching the bright ashes at twilight as they
fell into the grate and became extinct, that
from the period when her father had said she
was almost a young woman—which seemed
but yesterday—she had scarcely attracted his
notice again, when he found her quite a
young woman.

"Quite a young woman," said Mr.
Gradgrind, musing. " Dear me!"

Soon after this discovery, he became more
thoughtful than usual for several days, and
seemed much engrossed by one subject. On
a certain night, when he was going out, and
Louisa came to bid him good bye before his
departure—as he was not to be home until
late and she would not see him again until
the morning—he held her in his arms, looking
at her in his kindest manner, and said:

"My dear Louisa, you are a woman!"

She answered with the old, quick, searching
look of the night when she was found at the
Circus; then cast down her eyes. " Yes,
father."

"My dear," said Mr. Gradgrind, " I must
speak with you alone and seriously. Come to
me in my room after breakfast to-morrow,
will you?"

"Yes, father."

"Your hands are rather cold, Louisa. Are
you not well?"

"Quite well, father."

"And cheerful?"

She looked at him again, and smiled in her
peculiar manner. " I am as cheerful, father,
as I usually am, or usually have been."

"That's well," said Mr. Gradgrind. So, he
kissed her and went away; and Louisa
returned to the serene apartment of the hair-
cutting character, and leaning her elbow on
her hand, looked again at the short-lived
sparks that so soon subsided into ashes.

"Are you there, Loo? " said her brother,
looking in at the door. He was quite a young
gentleman of pleasure now, and not quite a
prepossessing one.

"Dear Tom," she answered, rising and
embracing him, " how long it is since you
have been to see me!"

"Why, I have been otherwise engaged,
Loo, in the evenings; and in the daytime old
Bounderby has been keeping me at it rather.
But I touch him up with you, when he comes
it too strong, and so we preserve an
understanding. I say! Has father said anything
particular to you, to-day or yesterday, Loo?"

"No, Tom. But he told me to-night that
he wished to do so in the morning."

"Ah! That's what I mean," said Tom. "Do
you know where he is to-night? "—with a
very deep expression.

"No."

"Then I'll tell you. He's with old Bounderby.
They are having a regular confab
together, up at the Bank. Why at the Bank,
do you think ? Well, I'll tell you again. To
keep Mrs. Sparsit's ears as far off as possible,
I expect."

With her hand upon her brother's shoulder,
Louisa still stood looking at the fire. Her
brother glanced at her face with greater
interest than usual, and, encircling her waist
with his arm, drew her coaxingly to him.

"You are very fond of me, an't you,
Loo?"

"Indeed I am, Tom, though you do let
such long intervals go by without coming to
see me."

"Well, sister of mine," said Tom, " when,
you say that, you are near my thoughts. We
might be so much oftener together—mightn't
we. Always together, almost—mightn't we?
It would do me a great deal of good if you
were to make up your mind to I know what,
Loo. It would be a splendid thing for me.
It would be uncommonly jolly!"

Her thoughtfulness baffled his cunning
scrutiny. He could make nothing of her
face. He pressed her in his arm, and kissed
her cheek. She returned the kiss, but still
looked at the fire.

"I say, Loo! I thought I'd come, and just
hint to you what was going on: though I
supposed you'd most likely guess, even if you
didn't know. I can't stay, because I'm
engaged to some fellows to-night. You won't
forget how fond you are of me?"

"No, dear Tom, I won't forget."

"That's a capital girl," said Tom. " Good
bye, Loo."

She gave him an affectionate good night,
and went out with him to the door, whence
the fires of Coketown could be seen, making