And she wrote her letters: one to Joyce, that told of her safety without disclosing her place of refuge; another a longer, fuller one, to Mr. Chester, telling him of all that had happened, of her doubts and difficulties, and begging him to come to her; “for, you know, dear old Gabriel,” she said, “that my mother made you a sort of guardian, and, as you have plenty of money, and can go where you please, do let it please you to come to the poor “snowchild,” who has fled out into the snow, and is shivering all alone in the cold world.” This latter clause was purely metaphorical, as Doris was sitting comfortably by the fireside, with Mrs. Howell blandly contemplating her from the opposite corner, and meditating, like Aunt Lotty, on the possibility of a wedding, with Mr. Chester and Doris for bridegroom and bride.
Source: wiktionary