第5章
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  Shestoodimmovable,onlyhereyeslookedanywayratherthanencounterhermaster’ssteadygaze。’Molly,mydear!’’Papa!Ididnotknowyouwereathome,’saidinnocent,wonderingMolly。’Bethia,keepyourword。HereisMissMolly;giveherthenote。’’Indeed,Miss,Icouldn’thelpit!’Mollytookthenote,butbeforeshecouldopenit,herfathersaid,—’That’sall,mydear;youneednotreadit。Giveittome。Tellthosewhosentyou,Bethia,thatalllettersforMissMollymustpassthroughmyhands。

  Nowbeoffwithyou,goosey,andgobacktowhereyoucamefrom。’’Papa,Ishallmakeyoutellmewhomycorrespondentis。’’We’llseeaboutthat,by—and—by。’Shewentalittlereluctantly,withungratifiedcuriosity,upstairstoMissEyre,whowasstillherdailycompanion,ifnothergoverness。Heturnedintotheemptydining—room,shutthedoor,brokethesealofthenote,andbegantoreadit。Itwasaflaminglove—letterfromMrCoxe;

  whoprofessedhimselfunabletogoonseeingherdayafterdaywithoutspeakingtoherofthepassionshehadinspired—an’eternalpassion,’

  hecalledit;onreadingwhichMrGibsonlaughedalittle。Wouldshenotlookkindlyathim?wouldshenotthinkofhimwhoseonlythoughtwasofher?andsoon,withaveryproperadmixtureofviolentcomplimentstoherbeauty。Shewasfair,notpale;hereyeswereloadstars,herdimplesmarksofCupid’sfinger,&c。MrGibsonfinishedreadingit;andbegantothinkaboutitinhisownmind。

  ’Whowouldhavethoughttheladhadbeensopoetical;but,tobesure,there’sa\"Shakespeare\"inthesurgerylibrary:I’lltakeitawayandput\"Johnson’sDictionary\"instead。Onecomfortistheconvictionofherperfectinnocence—ignorance,Ishouldrathersay—foritiseasytoseeit’sthefirst\"confessionofhislove,\"ashecallsit。Butit’sanawfulworry—tobeginwithloverssoearly。Why,she’sonlyjustseventeen,—notseventeen,indeed,tillJuly;notforsixweeksyet。Sixteenandthree—quarters!

  Why,she’squiteababy。Tobesure—poorJeaniewasnotsoold,andhowIdidloveher!(MrsGibson’snamewasMary,sohemusthavebeenreferringtosomeoneelse。)Thenhisthoughtswanderedbacktootherdays,thoughhestillheldtheopennoteinhishand。By—and—byhiseyesfelluponitagain,andhismindcamebacktobearuponthepresenttime。’I’llnotbeharduponhim。I’llgivehimahint;heisquitesharpenoughtotakeit。Poorladdie!ifIsendhimaway,whichwouldbethewisestcourse,Idobelieve,he’sgotnohometogoto。’Afteralittlemoreconsiderationinthesamestrain,MrGibsonwentandsatdownatthewriting—tableandwrotethefollowingformula:—MasterCoxe(’That\"master\"willtouchhimtothequick,’saidMrGibsontohimselfashewrotetheword。)*Verecundiae*FidelitatisDomesticae*Reticentiaegr。iij。M。Capiathancdosimterdieinaquapura。R。GIBSON,Ch。MrGibsonsmiledalittlesadlyashere—readhiswords。’PoorJeanie,’

  hesaidaloud。Andthenhechoseoutanenvelope,enclosedthefervidlove—letter,andtheaboveprescription;sealeditwithhisownsharply—cutseal—ring,R。G。,inOld—Englishletters,andthenpausedovertheaddress。’He’llnotlikeMasterCoxeoutside;noneedtoputhimtounnecessaryshame。’Sothedirectionontheenvelopewas—EdwardCoxe,Esq。ThenMrGibsonappliedhimselftotheprofessionalbusinesswhichhadbroughthimhomesoopportunelyandunexpectedly,andafterwardshewentbackthroughthegardentothestables;andjustashehadmountedhishorse,hesaidtothestable—man,—’Oh!bytheway,here’saletterforMrCoxe。Don’tsenditthroughthewomen;takeitroundyourselftothesurgery—door,anddoitatonce。’Theslightsmileuponhisface,asherodeoutofthegates,diedawayassoonashefoundhimselfinthesolitudeofthelanes。Heslackenedhisspeed,andbegantothink。Itwasveryawkward,heconsidered,tohaveamotherlessgirlgrowingupintowomanhoodinthesamehousewithtwoyoungmen,evenifsheonlymetthematmeal—times;andalltheintercoursetheyhadwitheachotherwasmerelytheutteranceofsuchwordsas,’MayIhelpyoutopotatoes?’or,asMrWynnewouldpersevereinsaying,’MayIassistyoutopotatoes?’—aformofspeechwhichgrateddailymoreandmoreuponMrGibson’scars。YetMrCoxe,theoffenderinthisaffairwhichhadjustoccurred,hadtoremainforthreeyearsmoreasapupilinMrGibson’sfamily。Heshouldbetheverylastoftherace。Stilltherewerethreeyearstobegotover;andifthisstupidpassionatecalf—loveofhislasted,whatwastobedone?SoonerorlaterMollywouldbecomeawareofit。Thecontingenciesoftheaffairweresoexcessivelydisagreeabletocontemplate,thatMrGibsondeterminedtodismissthesubjectfromhismindbyagoodstrongeffort。Heputhishorsetoagallop,andfoundthattheviolentshakingoverthelanes—pavedastheywerewithroundstones,whichhadbeendislocatedbythewearandtearofahundredyears—wastheverybestthingforthespirits,ifnotforthebones。Hemadealongroundthatafternoon,andcamebacktohishomeimaginingthattheworstwasover,andthatMrCoxewouldhavetakenthehintconveyedintheprescription。

  AllthatwouldbeneededwastofindasafeplacefortheunfortunateBethia,whohaddisplayedsuchadaringaptitudeforintrigue。ButMrGibsonreckonedwithouthishost。Itwasthehabitoftheyoungmentocomeintoteawiththefamilyinthedining—room,toswallowtwocups,munchtheirbreadortoast,andthendisappear。ThisnightMrGibsonwatchedtheircountenancesfurtivelyfromunderhislongeye—lashes,whilehetriedagainsthiswonttokeepupadegagemanner,andabriskconversationongeneralsubjects。HesawthatMrWynnewasonthepointofbreakingoutintolaughter,andthatred—haired,red—facedMrCoxewasredderandfiercerthanever,whilehiswholeaspectandwaysbetrayedindignationandanger。’Hewillhaveit,willhe?’thoughtMrGibsontohimself;andhegirdeduphisloinsforthebattle。HedidnotfollowMollyandMissEyreintothedrawing—roomasheusuallydid。Heremainedwherehewas,pretendingtoreadthenewspaper,whileBethia,herfaceswelledupwithcrying,andwithanaggrievedandoffendedaspect,removedthetea—things。Notfiveminutesaftertheroomwascleared,cametheexpectedtapatthedoor。

  ’MayIspeaktoyou,sir?’saidtheinvisibleMrCoxe,fromoutside。’Tobesure。Comein,MrCoxe。IwasratherwantingtotalktoyouaboutthatbillofCorbyn’s。Praysitdown。’’Itisaboutnothingofthatkind,sir,thatIwanted—thatIwished—

  No,thankyou—Iwouldrathernotsitdown。’He,accordingly,stoodinoffendeddignity。’Itisaboutthatletter,sir—thatletterwiththeinsultingprescription,sir。’’Insultingprescription!Iamsurprisedatsuchawordbeingappliedtoanyprescriptionofmine—though,tobesure,patientsaresometimesoffendedatbeingtoldthenatureoftheirillnesses;and,Idaresay,theymaytakeoffenceatthemedicineswhichtheircasesrequire。’’Ididnotaskyoutoprescribeforme。’’Oh,ho!ThenyouweretheMasterCoxewhosentthenotethroughBethia!

  Letmetellyouithascostherherplace,andwasaverysillyletterintothebargain。’’Itwasnottheconductofagentleman,sir,tointerceptit,andtoopenit,andtoreadwordsneveraddressedtoyou,sir。’’No!’saidMrGibson,withaslighttwinkleinhiseyeandacurlonhislips,notunnoticedbytheindignantMrCoxe。’IbelieveIwasonceconsideredtolerablygood—looking,andIdaresayIwasasgreatacoxcombasanyoneattwenty;butIdon’tthinkthateventhenIshouldquitehavebelievedthatallthoseprettycomplimentswereaddressedtomyself。’’Itwasnottheconductoragentleman,sir,’repeatedMrCoxe,stammeringoverhiswords—hewasgoingontosaysomethingmore,whenMrGibsonbrokein。’Andletmetellyou,youngman,’repliedMrGibson,withasuddensternnessinhisvoice,’thatwhatyouhavedoneisonlyexcusableinconsiderationofyouryouthandextremeignoranceofwhatareconsideredthelawsofdomestichonour。Ireceiveyouintomyhouseasamemberofmyfamily—

  youinduceoneofmyservants—corruptingherwithabribe,Ihavenodoubt—’’Indeed,sir!Inevergaveherapenny。’’Thenyououghttohavedone。Youshouldalwayspaythosewhodoyourdirtywork。’’Justnow,sir,youcalleditcorruptingwithabribe,’mutteredMrCoxe。MrGibsontooknonoticeofthisspeech,butwenton,—’Inducingoneofmyservantstoriskherplace,withoutofferinghertheslightestequivalent,bybegginghertoconveyaletterclandestinelytomydaughter—amerechild。’’MissGibson,sir,isnearlyseventeen!Iheardyousaysoonlytheotherday,’saidMrCoxe,agedtwenty。AgainMrGibsonignoredtheremark。’Aletterwhichyouwereunwillingtohaveseenbyherfather,whohadtacitlytrustedtoyourhonour,byreceivingyouasaninmateofhishouse。

  Yourfather’sson—IknowMajorCoxewell—oughttohavecometome,andhavesaidoutopenly,\"MrGibson,Ilove—orIfancythatIlove—

  yourdaughter;Idonotthinkitrighttoconcealthisfromyou,althoughunabletoearnapenny;andwithnoprospectofanunassistedlivelihood,evenformyself,forseveralyears,Ishallnotsayawordaboutmyfeelings—orfanciedfeelings—totheveryyoungladyherself。\"Thatiswhatyourfather’ssonoughttohavesaid;if,indeed,acoupleofgrainsofreticentsilencewouldnothavebeenbetterstill。’’AndifIhadsaidit,sir—perhapsIoughttohavesaidit,’saidpoorMrCoxe,inahurryofanxiety,’whatwouldhavebeenyouranswer?Wouldyouhavesanctionedmypassion,sir?’’Iwouldhavesaid,mostprobably—Iwillnotbecertainofmyexactwordsinasuppositiouscase—thatyouwereayoungfool,butnotadishonourableyoungfool,andIshouldhavetoldyounottoletyourthoughtsrunuponacalf—loveuntilyouhadmagnifieditintoapassion。AndIdaresay,tomakeupforthemortificationIshouldhavegivenyou,IshouldhaveprescribedyourjoiningtheHollingfordCricketClub,andsetyouatlibertyasoftenasIcouldontheSaturdayafternoons。Asitis,Imustwritetoyourfather’sagentinLondon,andaskhimtoremoveyououtofmyhousehold,repayingthepremium,ofcourse,whichwillenableyoutostartafreshinsomeotherdoctor’ssurgery。’’Itwillsogrievemyfather,’saidMrCoxe,startledintodismay,ifnotrepentance。’Iseenoothercourseopen。ItwillgiveMajorCoxesometrouble(Ishalltakecarethatheisatnoextraexpense),butwhatIthinkwillgrievehimthemostisthebetrayalofconfidence;forItrustedyou,Edward,likeasonofmyown!’TherewassomethinginMrGibson’svoicewhenhespokeseriously,especiallywhenhereferredtoanyfeelingofhisown—hewhosorarelybetrayedwhatwaspassinginhisheart—thatwasirresistibletomostpeople:thechangefromjokingandsarcasmtotendergravity。MrCoxehunghisheadalittle,andmeditated。’IdoloveMissGibson,’saidheatlength。’Whocouldhelpit?’’MrWynne,Ihope!’saidMrGibson。’Hisheartispre—engaged,’repliedMrCoxe。’MinewasfreeasairtillIsawher。’’Wouldittendtocureyour—well!passion,we’llsay—ifsheworebluespectaclesatmeal—times?Iobserveyoudwellmuchonthebeautyofhereyes。’’Youareridiculingmyfeelings,MrGibson。Doyouforgetthatyouyourselfwereyoungonce?’’PoorJeanie’rosebeforeMrGibson’seyes;andhefeltalittlerebuked。’Come,MrCoxe,letusseeifwecan’tmakeabargain,’saidhe,afteraminuteorsoofsilence。’Youhavedoneareallywrongthing,andIhopeyouareconvincedofitinyourheart,orthatyouwillbewhentheheatofthisdiscussionisover,andyoucometothinkalittleaboutit。ButIwon’tloseallrespectforyourfather’sson。Ifyouwillgivemeyourwordthat,aslongasyouremainamemberofmyfamily—pupil,apprentice,whatyouwill—youwon’tagaintrytodiscloseyourpassion—yousee,IamcarefultotakeyourviewofwhatIshouldcallamerefancy—bywordorwriting,looksoracts,inanymannerwhatever,tomydaughter,ortotalkaboutyourfeelingstoanyoneelse,youshallremainhere。

  Ifyoucannotgivemeyourword,ImustfollowoutthecourseInamed,andwritetoyourfather’sagent。’MrCoxestoodirresolute。’MrWynneknowsallIfeelforMissGibson,sir。HeandIhavenosecretsfromeachother。’’Well,Isupposehemustrepresentthereeds。YouknowthestoryofKingMidas’sbarber,whofoundoutthathisroyalmasterhadtheearsofanassbeneathhishyacinthinecurls。Sothebarber,indefaultofaMrWynne,wenttothereedsthatgrewontheshoresofaneighbouringlake,andwhisperedtothem,\"KingMidashastheearsofanass。\"Butherepeateditsooftenthatthereedslearntthewords,andkeptonsayingthemallthedaylong,tillatthelastthesecretwasnosecretatall。IfyoukeepontellingyourtaletoMrWynne,areyousurehewon’trepeatitinhisturn?’’IfIpledgemywordasagentleman,sir,IpledgeitforMrWynneaswell。’’IsupposeImustruntherisk。Butrememberhowsoonayounggirl’snamemaybebreathedupon,andsullied。Mollyhasnomother,andforthatveryreasonsheoughttomoveamongyouall,asunharmedasUnaherself。’’MrGibson,ifyouwishit,I’llswearitontheBible,’criedtheexcitableyoungman。’Nonsense。Asifyourword,ifit’sworthanything,wasnotenough!We’llshakehandsuponit,ifyoulike。’MrCoxecameforwardeagerly,andalmostsqueezedMrGibson’sringintohisfinger。Ashewasleavingtheroom,hesaid,alittleuneasily,’MayIgiveBethiaacrown—piece?’’No,indeed!LeaveBethiatome。Ihopeyouwon’tsayanotherwordtoherwhilesheishere。Ishallseethatshegetsarespectableplacewhenshegoesaway。’ThenMrGibsonrangforhishorse,andwentoutonthelastvisitsoftheday。Heusedtoreckonthatherodetheworldaroundinthecourseoftheyear。Therewerenotmanysurgeonsinthecountywhohadsowidearangeofpracticeashe;hewenttolonelycottagesonthebordersofgreatcommons;

  tofarm—housesattheendofnarrowcountrylanesthatledtonowhereelse,andwereovershadowedbytheelmsandbeechesoverhead。HeattendedallthegentrywithinacircleoffifteenmilesroundHollingford;andwastheappointeddoctortothestillgreaterfamilieswhowentuptoLondonveryFebruary—asthefashionthenwas—andreturnedtotheiracresintheearlyweeksofJuly。Hewas,ofnecessity,agreatdealfromhome,andonthissoftandpleasantsummereveninghefelttheabsenceasagreatevil。Hewasstartledintodiscoveringthathislittleonewasgrowingfastintoawoman,andalreadythepassiveobjectofsomeofthestrongintereststhataffectawoman’slife;andhe—hermotheraswellasherfather—somuchawaythathecouldnotguardherashewouldhavewished。

  TheendofhiscogitationswasthatridetoHamleythenextmorning,whenheproposedtoallowhisdaughtertoacceptMrsHamley’slastinvitation—aninvitationthathadbeendeclinedatthetime。’Youmayquoteagainstmetheproverb,\"Hethatwillnotwhenhemay,whenhewillheshallhavenay。\"AndIshallhavenoreasontocomplain,’hehadsaid。ButMrsHamleywasonlytoomuchcharmedwiththeprospectofhavingayounggirlforavisitor;onewhomitwouldnotbeatroubletoentertain;

  whomightbesentouttorambleinthegardens,ortoldtoreadwhentheinvalidwastoomuchfatiguedforconversation;andyetonewhoseyouthandfreshnesswouldbringacharm,likeawaftofsweetsummerair,intoherlonelyshut—uplife。Nothingcouldbepleasanter,andsoMolly’svisittoHamleywaseasilysettled。’IonlywishOsborneandRogerhadbeenathome,’saidMrsHamley,inherslowsoftvoice。’Shemayfinditdullbeingwitholdpeople,likethesquireandme,frommorningtillnight。Whencanshecome?thedarling—Iambeginningtoloveheralready!\"MrGibsonwasverygladinhisheartthattheyoungmenofthehousewereoutoftheway;hedidnotwanthislittleMollytobepassingfromScyllatoCharybdis;and,asheafterwardsscoffedathimselfforthinking,hehadgotanideathatallyoungmenwerewolvesinchaseofhisoneewe—lamb。’Sheknowsnothingofthepleasureinstoreforher,’hereplied;’andIamsureIdon’tknowwhatfemininepreparationsshemaythinknecessary,orhowlongtheymaytake。You’llremembersheisalittleignoramus,andhashadno……notraininginetiquette;ourwaysathomeareratherroughforagirl,I’mafraid。ButIknowIcouldnotsendherintoakinderatmospherethanthis。’WhenthesquireheardfromhiswifeofMrGibson’sproposal,hewasasmuchpleasedassheattheprospectoftheiryouthfulvisitor;forhewasamanofaheartyhospitality,whenhispridedidnotinterferewithitsgratification;andhewasdelightedtothinkofhissickwife’shavingsuchanagreeablecompanioninherhoursofloneliness。Afterawhilehesaid,—’It’saswelltheladsareatCambridge;wemighthavebeenhavingalove—affairiftheyhadbeenathome。’’Well—andifwehad?’askedhismoreromanticwife。’Itwouldnothavedone,’saidthesquire,decidedly。’Osbornewillhavehadafirst—rateeducation—asgoodasanymaninthecounty—he’llhavethisproperty,andhe’saHamleyofHamley;notafamilyintheshireisasoldasweare,orsettledontheirgroundsowell。Osbornemaymarrywherehelikes。IfLordHollingfordhadadaughter,Osbornewouldhavebeenasgoodamatchasshecouldhaverequired。ItwouldneverdoforhimtofallinlovewithGibson’sdaughter—Ishouldnotallowit。Soit’saswellhe’soutoftheway。’’Well!perhapsOsbornehadbetterlookhigher。’’\"Perhaps!\"Isayhemust。’Thesquirebroughthishanddownwithathumponthetable,nearhim,whichmadehiswife’sheartbeathardforsomeminutes。’AndasforRoger,’hecontinued,unconsciousoftheflutterhehadputherinto,’he’llhavetomakehisownway,andearnhisownbread;

  and,I’mafraid,he’snotgettingonverybrilliantlyatCambridge。Hemustnotthinkoffallinginloveforthesetenyears。’’Unlesshemarriesafortune,’saidMrsHamley,morebywayofconcealingherpalpitationthananythingelse;forshewasunworldlyandromantictoafault。’Nosonofmineshallevermarryawifewhoisricherthanhimself,withmygoodwill,’saidthesquireagain,withemphasis,butwithoutathump。

  ’Idon’tsaybutwhatifRogerisgainingfivehundredayearbythetimehe’sthirty,heshallnotchooseawifewithtenthousandpoundsdown;

  butIdosay,ifaboyofmine,withonlytwohundredayear—whichisallRogerwillhavefromus,andthatnotforalongtime—goesandmarriesawomanwithfiftythousandtoherportion,Iwilldisownhim—itwouldbejustdisgusting。’’Notiftheylovedeachother,andtheirwholehappinessdependedupontheirmarryingeachother?’putinMrsHamley,mildly。’Pooh!awaywithlove!Nay,mydear,welovedeachothersodearlyweshouldneverhavebeenhappywithanyoneelse;butthat’sadifferentthing。

  Peoplearenotlikewhattheywerewhenwewereyoung。Allthelovenow—a—daysisjustsillyfancy,andsentimentalromance,asfarasIcansee。’MrGibsonthoughtthathehadsettledeverythingaboutMolly’sgoingtoHamleybeforehespoketoheraboutit,whichhedidnotdo,untilthemorningofthedayonwhichMrsHamleyexpectedher。Thenhesaid,—’Bytheway,Molly!youaretogotoHamleythisafternoon;MrsHamleywantsyoutogotoherforaweekortwo,anditsuitsmecapitallythatyoushouldacceptherinvitationjustnow。’’GotoHamley!Thisafternoon!Papa,you’vegotsomeoddreasonsatthebackofyourhead—somemystery,orsomething。Please,tellmewhatitis。GotoHamleyforaweekortwo!Why,Ineverwasfromhomebeforethiswithoutyouinallmylife。’’Perhapsnot。Idon’tthinkyoueverwalkedbeforeyouputyourfeettotheground。Everythingmusthaveabeginning。’’Ithassomethingtodowiththatletterthatwasdirectedtome,butthatyoutookoutofmyhandsbeforeIcouldevenseethewritingofthedirection。’

  Shefixedhergreyeyesonherfather’sface,asifshemeanttopluckouthissecret。Heonlysmiledandsaid,—’You’reawitch,goosey!’’Thenithad!ButifitwasanotefromMrsHamley,whymightInotseeit?Ihavebeenwonderingifyouhadsomeplaninyourheadeversincethatday—Thursday,wasitnot?You’vegoneaboutinakindofthoughtfulperplexedway,justlikeaconspirator。Tellme,papa’—cominguptohim,andputtingonabeseechingmanner—’whymightnotIseethatnote?andwhyamItogotoHamleyallonasudden?’’Don’tyouliketogo?Wouldyourathernot?’Ifshehadsaidthatshedidnotwanttogohewouldhavebeenratherpleasedthanotherwise,althoughitwouldhaveputhimintoagreatperplexity;buthewasbeginningtodreadthepartingfromherevenforsoshortatime。However,shereplieddirectly,—’Idon’tknow—IdaresayIshalllikeitwhenIhavethoughtalittlemoreaboutit。JustnowIamsostartledbythesuddennessoftheaffair,IhavenotconsideredwhetherIshalllikeitornot。Ishan’tlikegoingawayfromyou,Iknow。WhyamItogo,papa?’’Therearethreeoldladiessittingsomewhere,Iandthinkingaboutyoujustatthisveryminute;onehasadistaffinherhands,andisspinningathread;shehascometoaknotinit,andispuzzledwhattodowithit。Hersisterhasagreatpairofscissorsinherhands,andwants—asshealwaysdoes,whenanydifficultyarisesinthesmoothnessofthethread—tocutitoffshort;butthethird,whohasthemostheadofthethree,planshowtoundotheknot;andsheitiswhohasdecidedthatyouaretogotoHamley。Theothersarequiteconvincedbyherarguments;so,astheFateshavedecreedthatthisvisitistobepaid,thereisnothingleftforyouandmebuttosubmit。’’Thatisallnonsense,papa,andyouareonlymakingmemorecurioustofindoutthishiddenreason。’MrGibsonchangedhistone,andspokegravelynow。’Thereisareason,Molly,andonewhichIdonotwishtogive。WhenItellyouthismuch,Iexpectyoutobeanhonourablegirl,andtotryandnotevenconjecturewhatthereasonmaybe,—muchlessendeavourtoputlittlediscoveriestogethertillverylikelyyoumayfindoutwhatIwanttoconceal。’’Papa,Iwon’teventhinkaboutyourreasonagain。ButthenIshallhavetoplagueyouwithanotherquestion。Ihavehadnonewgownsthisyear,andIhaveoutgrownallmylastsummerfrocks。IhaveonlythreethatI

  canwearatall。BettywassayingonlyyesterdaythatIoughttohavesomemore。’’Thatwilldothatyouhavegoton,won’tit?Itisaveryprettycolour。’’Yes;but,papa,’(holdingitoutasifshewas,goingtodance)’it’smadeofwoollen,andsohotandheavy;andeverydayitwillbegettingwarmer。’’Iwishgirlscoulddresslikeboys,’saidMrGibson,withalittleimpatience。

  ’Howisamantoknowwhenhisdaughterwantsclothes?andhowishetorigheroutwhenhefindsitout,justwhensheneedsthemmostandhasnotgotthem?’’Ah,that’sthequestion!’saidMolly,insomedespair。’Can’tyougotoMissRose’s?Doesnotshekeepready—madefrocksforgirlsofyourage?’’MissRose!Ineverhadanythingfromherinmylife,’repliedMolly,insomesurprise;forMissRosewasthegreatdressmakerandmillinerofthelittletown,andhithertoBettyhadmadethegirl’sfrocks。’Well,butitseemspeopleconsideryouasayoungwomannow,andsoI

  supposeyoumustrunupmilliners’billsliketherestofyourkind。Notthatyouaretogetanythinganywherethatyoucan’tpayfordowninreadymoney。Here’saten—poundnote;gotoMissRose’s,orMissanybody’s,andgetwhatyouwantatonce。TheHamleycarriageistocomeforyouattwo,andanythingthatisnotquiteready,caneasilybesentbytheircartonSaturday,whensomeoftheirpeoplealwayscometomarket。Nay,don’tthankme!Idon’twanttohavethemoneyspent,andIdon’twantyoutogoandleaveme:Ishallmissyou,Iknow;it’sonlyhardnecessitythatdrivesmetosendyoua—visiting,andtothrowawaytenpoundsonyourclothes。There,goaway;you’reaplague,andImeantoleaveofflovingyouasfastasIcan。’’Papa!’holdingupherfingerasinwarning,’youaregettingmysteriousagain;andthoughmyhonourablenessisverystrong,Iwon’tpromisethatitshallnotyieldtomycuriosityifyougoonhintingatuntoldsecrets。’’Goawayandspendyourtenpounds。WhatdidIgiveityouforbuttokeepyouquiet?’MissRose’sready—maderesourcesandMolly’stastecombined,didnotarriveataverygreatsuccess。Sheboughtalilacprint,becauseitwouldwash,andwouldbecoolandpleasantforthemornings;andthisBettycouldmakeathomebeforeSaturday。Andforhigh—daysandholidays—bywhichwasunderstoodafternoonsandSundays—MissRosepersuadedhertoorderagay—coloured,flimsyplaidsilk,whichsheassuredherwasquitethelatestfashioninLondon,andwhichMollythoughtwouldpleaseherfather’sScotchblood。Butwhenhesawthescrapwhichshehadbroughthomeasapattern,hecriedoutthattheplaidbelongedtonoclaninexistence,andthatMollyoughttohaveknownthisbyinstinct。Itwastoolatetochangeit,however,forMissRosehadpromisedtocutthedressoutassoonasMollyhadlefthershop。MrGibsonhadhungaboutthetownallthemorninginsteadofgoingawayonhisusualdistantrides。Hepassedhisdaughteronceortwiceinthestreet,buthedidnotcrossoverthewaywhenhewasontheoppositeside—onlygaveheralookoranod,andwentonhisway,scoldinghimselfforhisweaknessinfeelingsomuchpainatthethoughtofherabsenceforafortnightorso。’And,afterall,’thoughthe,’IamonlywhereIwaswhenshecomesback;

  atleast,ifthatfoolishfellowgoesonwithhisimaginaryfancy。She’llhavetocomebacksometime,andifhechoosestoimaginehimselfconstant,there’sstillthedeviltopay。’Presentlyhebegantohumtheairoutofthe’Beggar’sOpera’—IwonderanymanaliveShouldeverrearadaughter。

  chapter06CHAPTERVIAVISITTOTHEHAMLEYSOfcoursethenewsofMissGibson’sapproachingdeparturehadspreadthroughthehouseholdbeforetheoneo’clockdinner—timecame;andMrCoxe’sdismalcountenancewasasourceofmuchinwardirritationtoMrGibson,whokeptgivingtheyouthsharpglancesofsavagereproofforhismelancholyface,andthewantofappetite;whichhetrottedout,withagooddealofsadostentation;allofwhichwaslostuponMolly,whowastoofullofherownpersonalconcernstohaveanythoughtorobservationtosparefromthem,exceptingonceortwicewhenshethoughtofthemanydaysthatmustpassoverbeforesheshouldagainsitdowntodinnerwithherfather。Whenshenamedthistohimafterthemealwasover,andtheyweresittingtogetherinthedrawing—room,waitingforthesoundofthewheelsoftheHamleycarriage,helaughed,andsaid,—’I’mcomingoverto—morrowtoseeMrsHamley;andIdaresayIshalldineattheirlunch;soyouwon’thavetowaitlongbeforeyou’vethetreatofseeingthewildbeastfeed。’Thentheyheardtheapproachingcarriage。’Oh,papa,’saidMolly,catchingathishand,’IdosowishIwasnotgoing,nowthatthetimeiscome。’’Nonsense;don’tletushaveanysentiment。Haveyougotyourkeys?that’smoretothepurpose。’Yes;shehadgotherkeys,andherpurse;andherlittleboxwasputupontheseatbythecoachman;andherfatherhandedherin;thedoorwasshut,andshedroveawayinsolitarygrandeur,lookingbackandkissingherhandtoherfather,whostoodatthegate,inspiteofhisdislikeofsentiment,aslongasthecarriagecouldbeseen。Thenheturnedintothesurgery,andfoundMrCoxehadhadhiswatchingtoo,andhad,indeed,remainedatthewindowgazing,moonstruck,attheemptyroad,upwhichtheyoungladyhaddisappeared。MrGibsonstartledhimfromhisreveriebyasharp,almostvenomous,speechaboutsomesmallneglectofdutyadayortwobefore。ThatnightMrGibsoninsistedonpassingbythebedsideofapoorgirlwhoseparentswereworn—outbymanywakefulanxiousnightssucceedingtohardworkingdays。Mollycriedalittle,butcheckedhertearsassoonassherememberedhowannoyedherfatherwouldhavebeenatthesightofthem。Itwasverypleasantdrivingquicklyalongintheluxuriouscarriage,throughtheprettygreenlanes,withdog—rosesandhoneysucklessoplentifulandratheinthehedges,thatsheonceortwicewastemptedtoaskthecoachmantostoptillshehadgatheredanosegay。Shebegantodreadtheendofherlittlejourneyofsevenmiles;theonlydrawbacktowhichwas,thathersilkwasnotatrueclan—tartan,andalittleuncertaintyastoMissRose’spunctuality,Atlengththeycametoavillage;stragglingcottageslinedtheroad,anoldchurchstoodonakindofgreen,withthepublic—houseclosebyit;

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