第30章
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  IfIcanadvanceanypartofthemoneyrequisite,heandyoushallpaymeinterestuntilyoucanreturnthecapital。’’Roger,you’retheprovidenceofthefamily,’exclaimedOsborne,suddenlystruckbyadmirationathisbrother’sconduct,andforgettingtocontrastitwithhisown。SoRogerwentuptoLondonandOsbornefollowedhim,andfortwoorthreeweekstheGibsonssawnothingofthebrothers。Butaswavesucceedstowave,sointerestsucceedstointerest。’Thefamily,’astheywerecalled,camedownfortheirautumnsojournattheTowers;andagainthehousewasfullofvisitors,andtheTowers’servants,andcarriages,andliverieswereseeninthetwostreetsofHollingford,justastheymighthavebeenseenforscoresofautumnspast。Sorunstheroundoflifefromdaytoday。MrsGibsonfoundthechancesofintercoursewiththeTowersrathermorepersonallyexcitingthanRoger’svisits,ortherarercallsofOsborneHamley。Cynthiahadanoldantipathytothegreatfamilywhohadmadesomuchofhermotherandsolittleofher;andwhomsheconsideredasinsomemeasurethecausewhyshehadseensolittleofhermotherinthedayswhenthelittlegirlhadcravedforloveandfoundnone。Moreover,Cynthiamissedherslave,althoughshedidnotcareforRogeronethousandthpartofwhathedidforher;yetshehadfounditnotunpleasanttohaveamanwhomshethoroughlyrespected,andwhommeningeneralrespected,thesubjectofhereye,thegladministranttoeachscarcespokenwish,apersoninwhosesightallherwordswerepearlsordiamonds,allheractionsheavenlygraciousness,andinwhosethoughtsshereignedsupreme。Shehadnomodestunconsciousnessabouther;

  andyetshewasnotvain。Sheknewofallthisworship;andwhenfromcircumstancesshenolongerreceiveditshemissedit。TheEarlandtheCountess,LordHollingfordandLadyHarriet,lordsandladiesingeneral,liveries,dresses,bagsofgame,andrumoursofridingpartieswereasnothingtoherascomparedtoRoger’sabsence。Andyetshedidnotlovehim。No,shedidnotlovehim。MollyknewthatCynthiadidnotlovehim。Mollygrewangrywithhermanyandmanyatimeastheconvictionofthisfactwasforceduponher。

  Mollydidnotknowherownfeelings;Rogerhadnooverwhelminginterestinwhattheymightbe;whilehisverylife—breathseemedtodependonwhatCynthiafeltandthought。ThereforeMollyhadkeeninsightintoher’sister’s’

  heart;andsheknewthatCynthiadidnotloveRoger,MollycouldhavecriedwithpassionateregretatthethoughtoftheunvaluedtreasurelyingatCynthia’sfeet;anditwouldhavebeenamerelyunselfishregret。Itwastheoldfervidtenderness。’Donotwishforthemoon,Omydarling,forIcannotgiveitthee。’Cynthia’slovewasthemoonRogeryearnedfor;

  andMollysawthatitwasfarawayandoutofreach,elsewouldshehavestrainedherheart—chordstogiveittoRoger。’Iamhissister,’shewouldsaytoherself。’Thatoldbondisnotdoneawaywith,thoughheistoomuchabsorbedbyCynthiatospeakaboutitjustnow。Hismothercalledme\"Fanny;\"itwasalmostlikeanadoption。

  Imustwaitandwatch,andseeifIcandoanythingformybrother。’OnedayLadyHarrietcametocallontheGibsons,orratheronMrsGibson,forthelatterretainedheroldjealousyifanyoneelseinHollingfordwassupposedtobeonintimatetermsatthegreathouse,orintheleastacquaintedwiththeirplans。MrGibsonmightpossiblyknowasmuch,butthenhewasprofessionallyboundtosecrecy。OutofthehousesheconsideredMrPrestonasherrival,andhewasawarethatshedidso,anddelightedinteasingherbyaffectingaknowledgeoffamilyplansanddetailsofaffairsofwhichshewasnotaware。IndoorsshewasjealousofthefancyLadyHarriethadevidentlytakenforherstepdaughter,andshecontrivedtoplacequietobstaclesinthewayofatoofrequentintercoursebetweenthetwo。Theseobstacleswerenotunliketheshieldoftheknightintheoldstory;onlyinsteadofthetwosidespresentedtothetwotravellersapproachingitfromoppositequarters,oneofwhichwassilver,andoneofwhichwasgold,LadyHarrietsawthesmoothandshiningyellowradiance,whilepoorMollyonlyperceivedadullandheavylead。ToLadyHarrietitwas’Mollyisgoneout;shewillbesosorrytomissyou,butshewasobligedtogotoseesomeoldfriendsofhermother’swhomsheoughtnottoneglect:asIsaidtoher,constancyiseverything。ItisSterne,I

  think,whosays,\"Thineownandthymother’sfriendsforsakenot。\"But,dearLadyHarriet,you’llstoptillshecomeshome,won’tyou?Iknowhowfondyouareofher。infact’(withalittlesurfaceplayfulness)’IsometimessayyoucomemoretoseeherthanyourpooroldClare。’ToMollyithadpreviouslybeen,—’LadyHarrietiscomingherethismorning。Ican’thaveanyoneelsecomingin。TellMariatosayI’mnotathome。LadyHarriethasalwayssomuchtotellme。DearLadyHarriet!I’veknownallhersecretssinceshewastwelveyearsold。Youtwogirlsmustkeepoutoftheway。Ofcourseshe’llaskforyou,outofcommoncivility;butyouwouldonlyinterruptusifyoucamein,asyoudidtheotherday;’—nowaddressingMolly—’lhardlyliketosayso,butIthoughtitwasveryforward。’’Mariatoldmeshehadaskedforme,’putinMolly,simply。’Veryforwardindeed!’continuedMrsGibson,takingnofurthernoticeoftheinterruption,excepttostrengthenthewordstowhichMolly’slittlespeechhadbeenintendedasacorrection。’IthinkthistimeImustsecureherladyshipfromthechancesofsuchanintrusion,bytakingcarethatyouareoutofthehouse,Molly。YouhadbettergototheHollyFarm,andspeakaboutthosedamsonsIordered,andwhichhaveneverbeensent。’’I’llgo,’saidCynthia。’It’sfartoolongawalkforMolly;she’shadabadcold,andisnotasstrongasshewasafortnightago。Idelightinlongwalks。IfyouwantMollyoutoftheway,mamma,sendhertotheMissBrownings’—theyarealwaysgladtoseeher。’’IneversaidIwantedMollyoutoftheway,Cynthia,’repliedMrsGibson。

  ’Youalwaysputthingsinsuchanexaggerated—Ishouldalmostsay,socoarseamanner。Iamsure,Molly,mylove,youcouldneverhavesomisunderstoodme;itisonlyonLadyHarriet’saccount。’’Idon’tthinkIcanwalkasfarastheHollyFarm;papawouldtakethemessage;Cynthianeednotgo。’’Well!I’mthelastpersonintheworldtotaxanyone’sstrength;I’dsoonerneverseedamsonpreserveagain。SupposeyoudogoandseeMissBrowning;youcanpayheranicelongcall—youknowshelikesthat—

  andaskafterMissPhoebe’scoldfromme,youknow。Theywerefriendsofyourmother’s,mydear,andIwouldnothaveyoubreakoffoldfriendshipsfortheworld。\"Constancyaboveeverything\"ismymotto,asyouknow,andthememoryofthedeadoughtalwaystobecherished。’’Now,mamma,whereamItogo?’askedCynthia。’ThoughLadyHarrietdoesnotcareformeasmuchasshedoesforMolly—indeed,quitethecontraryIshouldsay—yetshemightaskafterme,andIhadbetterbesafelyoutoftheway。’’True!’saidMrsGibson,meditatively,yetunconsciousofanysatireinCynthia’sspeech。—’Sheismuchlesslikelytoaskforyou,mydear:I

  almostthinkyoumightremaininthehouse,oryoumightgototheHollyFarm;Ireallydowantthedamsons;oryoumightstayhereinthedining—room,youknow,soastobereadytoarrangelunchprettily,ifshedoestakeafancytostayforit。Sheisveryfanciful,isdearLadyHarriet!Iwouldnotlikehertothinkwemadeanydifferenceinourmealsbecauseshestayed。

  \"Simpleelegance,\"asItellher,\"alwaysiswhatweaimat。\"Butstillyoucouldputoutthebestservice,andarrangesomeflowers,andaskcookwhatthereisfordinnerthatshecouldsendusforlunch,andmakeitalllookpretty,andimpromptu,andnatural。Ithinkyouhadbetterstayathome,Cynthia,andthenyoucouldfetchMollyfromMissBrownings’intheafternoon,youknow,andyoutwocouldtakeawalktogether。’’AfterLadyHarrietwasfairlygone!Iunderstand,mamma。Offwithyou,Molly。Makehaste,orLadyHarrietmaycomeandaskforyouaswellasmamma。I’lltakecareandforgetwhereyouaregoingto,sothatnooneshalllearnfrommewhereyouare,andI’llanswerformamma’slossofmemory。’’Child!whatnonsenseyoutalk;youquiteconfusemewithbeingsosilly,’

  saidMrsGibson,flutteredandannoyedassheusuallywaswiththeLilliputiandarts’Cynthiaflungather。Shehadrecoursetoheraccustomedfecklesspieceofretaliation—bestowingsomefavouronMolly;andthisdidnothurtCynthiaonewhit。’Molly,darling,there’saverycoldwind,thoughitlookssofine。YouhadbetterputonmyIndianshawl;anditwilllooksopretty,too,onyourgreygown—scarletandgrey—it’snoteverybodyIwouldlenditto,butyou’resocareful。’’Thankyou,’saidMolly:andsheleftMrsGibsonincarelessuncertaintyastowhetherherotterwouldbeacceptedornot。LadyHarrietwassorrytomissMolly,asshewasfondofthegirl;butassheperfectlyagreedwithMrsGibson’struismsabout’constancy’and’oldfriends,’shesawnooccasionforsayinganymoreabouttheaffair,butsatedowninalittlelowchairwithherfeetonthefender。Thissaidfenderwasmadeofbright,brightsteel,andwasstrictlytabooedtoallhouseholdandplebeianfeet;indeedtheposition,iftheyassumedit,wasconsideredlow—bredandvulgar。’That’sright,dearLadyHarriet!youcan’tthinkwhatapleasureitistometowelcomeyouatmyownfireside,intomyhumblehome。’’Humble!now,Clare,that’salittlebitofnonsense,beggingyourpardon。

  Idon’tcallthisprettylittledrawing—roomabitofa\"humblehome。\"

  Itisasfullofcomforts,andofprettythingstoo,asanyroomofitssizecanbe。’’Ah!howsmallyoumustfeelit!evenIhadtoreconcilemyselftoitatfirst。’’Well!perhapsyourschool—roomwaslarger,butrememberhowbareitwas,howemptyofanythingbutdealtables,andforms,andmats。Oh,indeed,Clare,Iquiteagreewithmamma,whoalwayssaysyouhavedoneverywellforyourself;andMrGibsontoo!Whatanagreeable,well—informedman!’’Yes,heis,’saidhiswife,slowly,asifshedidnotliketorelinquishherrôleofavictimtocircumstancesquiteimmediately。’Heisveryagreeable,very;onlyweseesolittleofhim;andofcoursehecomeshometiredandhungry,andnotinclinedtotalktohisownfamily,andapttogotosleep。’’Come,come!’saidLadyHarriet,’I’mgoingtohavemyturnnow。We’vehadthecomplaintofadoctor’swife,nowhearthemoansofapeer’sdaughter。

  Ourhouseissooverrunwithvisitors;andliterallyto—dayIhavecometoyouforalittlesolitude。’’Solitude!’exclaimedMrsGibson。’Wouldyouratherbealone?’slightlyaggrieved。’No,youdearsillywoman;mysolituderequiresalistener,towhomImaysay,\"Howsweetissolitude。\"ButIamtiredoftheresponsibilityofentertaining。

  Papaissoopen—hearted,heaskseveryfriendhemeetswithtocomeandpayusavisit。Mammaisreallyagreatinvalid,butshedoesnotchoosetogiveupherreputationforgoodhealth,havingalwaysconsideredillnessawantofself—control。Soshegetsweariedandworriedbyacrowdofpeoplewhoareallofthemopen—mouthedforamusementofsomekind;justlikeabroodoffledglingsinanest;soIhavetobeparent—bird,andpopmorselsintotheiryellowleatherybills,tofindthemswalloweddownbeforeI

  canthinkofwheretofindthenext。Oh,it’s\"entertaining\"inthelargest,literalest,dreariestsenseoftheword。SoIhavetoldafewliesthismorning,andcomeoffhereforquietnessandthecomfortofcomplaining!’LadyHarrietthrewherselfbackinherchair,andyawned;MrsGibsontookoneofherladyship’shandsinasoftsympathizingmanner,andmurmured,’PoorLadyHarriet!’andthenshepurredaffectionately。AfterapauseLadyHarrietstartedupandsaid,—’IusedtotakeyouasmyarbiterofmoralswhenIwasalittlegirl。Tellme,doyouthinkitwrongtotelllies?’’Oh,mydear!howcanyouasksuchquestions?—ofcourseitisverywrong,—verywickedindeed,IthinkImaysay。ButIknowyouwereonlyjokingwhenyousaidyouhadtoldlies。’’No,indeed,Iwasnot。Itoldasplumpfatliesasyouwouldwishtohear。

  IsaidI\"wasobligedtogointoHollingfordonbusiness,\"whenthetruthwastherewasnoobligationinthematter,onlyaninsupportabledesireofbeingfreefrommyvisitorsforanhourortwo,andmyonlybusinesswastocomehere,andyawn,andcomplain,andloungeatmyleisure。IreallythinkI’munhappyathavingtoldastory,aschildrenexpressit。’’But,mydearLadyHarriet,’saidMrsGibson,alittlepuzzledastotheexactmeaningofthewordsthatweretremblingonhertongue,’Iamsureyouthoughtthatyoumeantwhatyousaid,whenyousaidit。’’No,Ididn’t,’putinLadyHarriet。’Andbesides,ifyoudidn’t,itwasthefaultofthetiresomepeoplewhodroveyouintosuchstraits—yes,itwascertainlytheirfault,notyours—andthenyouknowtheconventionsofsociety—ah,whattrammelstheyare!’LadyHarrietwassilentforaminuteortwo;thenshesaid,—’Tellme,Clare;you’vetoldliessometimes,haven’tyou?’’LadyHarriet!rthinkyoumighthaveknownmebetter;butIknowyoudon’tmeanit,dear。’’Yes,Ido。Youmusthavetoldwhitelies,atanyrate。Howdidyoufeelafterthem?’’IshouldhavebeenmiserableifIeverhad。Ishouldhavediedofself—reproach。

  \"Thetruth,thewholetruth,andnothingbutthetruth,\"hasalwaysseemedtomesuchafinepassage。ButthenIhavesomuchthatisunbendinginmynature,andinoursphereoflifetherearesofewtemptations。Ifwearehumble,wearealsosimple,andunshackledbyetiquette。’’Thenyoublamemeverymuch?Ifsomebodyelsewillblameme,Ishan’tbesounhappyatwhatIsaidthismorning。’’IamsureIneverblamedyou,notinmyinnermostheart,dearLadyHarriet。

  Blameyou,indeed!Thatwouldbepresumptioninme。’’IthinkIshallsetupaconfessor!anditshan’tbeyou,Clare,foryouhavealwaysbeenonlytooindulgenttome。’Afterapauseshesaid,—’Canyougivemesomelunch,Clare?Idon’tmeantogohometillthree。My\"business\"willtakemetillthen,asthepeopleattheTowersaredulyinformed。’’Certainly。Ishallbedelighted!butyouknowweareverysimpleinourhabits。’’Oh,Ionlywantalittlebreadandbutter,andperhapsasliceofcoldmeat—youmustnotgiveyourselfanytrouble,Clare—perhapsyoudinenow?letmesitdownjustlikeoneofyourfamily。’’Yes,youshall;Iwon’tmakeanyalteration;—itwillbesopleasanttohaveyousharingourfamilymeal,dearLadyHarriet。Butwedinelate,weonlylunchnow。Howlowthefireisgetting;Ireallyamforgettingeverythinginthepleasureofthistête—à—tête!’Sosherangtwice;withgreatdistinctness,andwithalongpausebetweentherings。Mariabroughtincoals。ButthesignalwasaswellunderstoodbyCynthiaasthe’HallofApollo’

  wasbytheservantsofLucullus。Thebraceofpartridgesthatweretohavebeenforthelatedinnerwereinstantlyputdowntothefire;andtheprettiestchinaputout,andthetabledeckedwithflowersandfruit,arrangedwithallCynthia’susualdexterityandtaste。Sothatwhenthemealwasannounced,andLadyHarrietenteredtheroom,shecouldnotbutthinkherhostess’sapologieshadbeenquiteunnecessary;andbemoreandmoreconvincedthatClarehaddoneverywellforherself。Cynthianowjoinedtheparty,prettyandelegantasshealwayswas;butsomehowshedidnottakeLadyHarriet’sfancy;sheonlynoticedheronaccountofherbeinghermother’sdaughter。

  Herpresencemadetheconversationmoregeneral,andLadyHarrietgaveoutseveralpiecesofnews,noneofthemofanygreatimportancetoher,butaswhathadbeentalkedaboutbythecircleofvisitorsassembledattheTowers。’LordHollingfordoughttohavebeenwithus,’shesaid,amongstotherthings;’butheisobliged,orfancieshimselfobliged,whichisallthesamething,tostayintownaboutthisCrichtonlegacy!’’Alegacy?ToLordHollingford?Iamsoglad!’’Don’tbeinahurrytobeglad!It’snothingforhimbuttrouble。DidnotyouhearofthatricheccentricMrCrichton,whodiedsometimeago,and—firedbytheexampleofLordBridgewater,Isuppose—leftasumofmoneyinthehandsoftrustees,ofwhommybrotherisone,tosendoutamanwithathousandfinequalifications,tomakeascientificvoyage,withaviewtobringingbackspecimensofthefaunaofdistantlands,andsoformingthenucleusofamuseumwhichistobecalledtheCrichtonMuseum,andsoperpetuatethefounder’sname。Suchvariousformsdoesman’svanitytake!Sometimesitstimulatesphilanthropy;sometimesaloveofscience!’’Itseemstomeaverylaudableandusefulobject,Iamsure,’saidMrsGibson,safely。’Idaresayitis,takingitfromthepublic—goodview。Butitisrathertiresometousprivately,foritkeepsHollingfordintown—orbetweenitandCambridge—andeachplaceasdullandemptyascanbe,justwhenwewanthimdownattheTowers。Thethingoughttohavebeendecidedlongago,andthere’ssomedangerofthelegacylapsing。ThetwoothertrusteeshaverunawaytotheContinent,feeling,astheysay,theutmostconfidenceinhim,butinrealityshirkingtheirresponsibilities。However,Ibelievehelikesit,soIoughtnottogrumble。Hethinksheisgoingtobeverysuccessfulinthechoiceofhisman—andhebelongstothiscounty,too,—youngHamleyofHamley,ifhecanonlygethiscollegetolethimgo,forhe’saFellowofTrinity,SeniorWranglerorsomething;andthey’renotsofoolishastosendtheircrackmantobeeatenupbylionsandtigers!’’ItmustbeRogerHamley!’exclaimedCynthia,hereyesbrightening,andhercheeksflushing。’He’snottheeldestson;hecanscarcelybecalledHamleyofHamley!’

  saidMrsGibson。’Hollingford’smanisaFellowofTrinity,asIsaidbefore。’’ThenitisMrRogerHamley,’saidCynthia;’andhe’supinLondonaboutsomebusiness!WhatnewsforMollywhenshecomeshome!’’Why,whathasMollytodowithit?’askedLadyHarriet。’Is——?’andshelookedintoMrsGibson’sfaceforananswer。MrsGibsoninreplygaveanintelligentandveryexpressiveglanceatCynthia,whohoweverdidnotperceiveit。’Oh,no!notatall’—andMrsGibsonnoddedalittleatherdaughter,asmuchastosay,’Ifanyone,that。’LadyHarrietbegantolookattheprettyMissKirkpatrickwithfreshinterest;

  herbrotherhadspokeninsuchamannerofthisyoungMrHamleythateveryoneconnectedwiththePhoenixwasworthyofobservation。Then,asifthementionofMolly’snamehadbroughtherafreshintohermind,LadyHarrietsaid,—’AndwhereisMollyallthistime?Ishouldliketoseemylittlementor。Ihearsheisverymuchgrownsincethosedays。’’Oh!whensheoncegetsgossippingwiththeMissBrownings,sheneverknowswhentocomehome,’saidMrsGibson。’TheMissBrownings?Oh!Iamsogladyounamedthem!Iamveryfondofthem。PecksyandFlapsy;ImaycallthemsoinMolly’sabsence。I’llgoandseethembeforeIgohome,andthenperhapsIshallseemydearlittleMollytoo。Doyouknow,Clare,Ihavequitetakenafancytothatgirl!’SoMrsGibson,afterallherprecautions,hadtosubmittoLadyHarriet’sleavingherhalf—an—hourearlierthansheotherwisewouldhavedoneinorderto’makeherselfcommon’(asMrsGibsonexpressedit)bycallingontheMissBrownings。ButMollyhadleftbeforeLadyHarrietarrived。MollywentthelongwalktotheHollyFarmtoorderthedamsonsoutofakindofpenitence。Shehadfeltconsciousofangeratbeingsentoutofthehousebysuchapalpablemanoeuvreasthatwhichherstepmotherhademployed。OfcourseshedidnotmeetCynthia,soshewentalonealongtheprettylanes,withgrassysidesandhighhedge—banksnotatallinthestyleofmodernagriculture。Atfirstshemadeherselfuncomfortablewithquestioningherselfastohowfaritwasrighttoleaveunnoticedthesmalldomesticfailings—thewebs,thedistortionsoftruthwhichhadprevailedintheirhouseholdeversinceherfather’ssecondmarriage。

  Sheknewthatveryoftenshelongedtoprotest,butdidnotdoit,fromthedesireofsparingherfatheranydiscord;andshesawbyhisfacethathe,too,wasoccasionallyawareofcertainthingsthatgavehimpain,asshowingthathiswife’sstandardofconductwasnotashighashewouldhaveliked。ItwasawondertoMollyifthissilencewasrightorwrong。

  Withagirl’swantoftoleration,andwantofexperiencetoteachhertheforceofcircumstances,andoftemptation,shehadoftenbeenonthepointoftellingherstepmothersomeforciblehometruths。Butpossiblyherfather’sexampleofsilence,andoftensomepieceofkindnessonMrsGibson’spart(forafterherway,andwheninagoodtemper,shewasverykindtoMolly),madeherholdhertongue。ThatnightatdinnerMrsGibsonrecountedtheconversationbetweenherselfandLadyHarriet,givingitaverystrongindividualcolouring,aswasherwont,andtellingnearlythewholeofwhathadpassed,althoughimplyingthattherewasagreatdealsaidthatwassopurelyconfidential,thatshewasboundinhonournottorepeatit。Herthreeauditorslistenedtoherwithoutinterruptinghermuch—indeed,withoutbestowingextremeattentiononwhatshewassaying,untilshecametothefactofLordHollingford’sabsenceinLondon,andthereasonforit。’RogerHamleygoingoffonascientificexpedition!’exclaimedMrGibson,suddenlyawakenedintovivacity。’Yes。Atleastitisnotsettledfinally;butasLordHollingfordistheonlytrusteewhotakesanyinterest—andbeingLordCumnor’sson—itisnexttocertain。’’IthinkImusthaveavoiceinthematter,’saidMrGibson;andherelapsedintosilence,keepinghisearsopen,however,henceforward。’Howlongwillhebeaway?’askedCynthia。’Weshallmisshimsadly。’Molly’slipsformedanacquiescing’yes’tothisremark,butnosoundwasheard。Therewasabuzzinginherearsasiftheothersweregoingonwiththeconversation,butthewordstheyutteredseemedindistinctandblurred;

  theyweremerelyconjectures,anddidnotinterferewiththeonegreatpieceofnews。Totherestofthepartysheappearedtobeeatingherdinnerasusual,and,ifsheweresilent,therewasonelistenerthemoretoMrsGibson’sstreamofprattle,andMrGibson’sandCynthia’sremarks。

  chapter33CHAPTERXXXIIIBRIGHTENINGPROSPECTSItwasadayortwoafterwards,thatMrGibsonmadetimetorideroundbyHamley,desiroustolearnmoreexactparticularsofthisschemeforRogerthanhecouldobtainfromanyextraneoussource,andratherpuzzledtoknowwhetherheshouldinterfereintheprojectornot。Thestateofthecasewasthis:—Osborne’ssymptomswere,inMrGibson’sopinion,signsofhishavingafataldisease。DrNichollshaddifferedfromhimonthishead,andMrGibsonknewthattheoldphysicianhadhadlongexperience,andwasconsideredveryskilfulintheprofession。Stillhebelievedthathehimselfwasright,and,ifso,thecomplaintwasonewhichmightcontinueforyearsinthesamestateasatpresent,ormightendtheyoungman’slifeinahour—aminute。SupposingthatMrGibsonwasright,woulditbewellforRogertobeawaywherenosuddencallsforhispresencecouldreachhim—awayfortwoyears?Yetiftheaffairwasconcluded,theinterferenceofamedicalmanmightacceleratetheveryeviltobefeared;andafterallDrNichollsmightberight,andthesymptomsmightproceedfromsomeothercause。Might?Yes。Probablydid?No。MrGibsoncouldnotbringhimselftosayyestothislatterformofsentence。Soherodeon,meditating;

  hisreinsslack,hisheadalittlebent。Itwasoneofthosestillandlovelyautumndayswhentheredandyellowleavesarehanging—pegstodewy,brilliantgossamer—webs;whenthehedgesarefulloftrailingbrambles,loadedwithripeblackberries;whentheairisfullofthefarewellwhistlesandpipesofbirds,clearandshort—notthelongfull—throatedwarblesofspring;whenthewhirrofthepartridge’swingsisheardinthestubble—fields,asthesharphoof—blowsfallonthepavedlanes;whenhereandtherealeaffloatsandfluttersdowntotheground,althoughthereisnotasinglebreathofwind。Thecountrysurgeonfeltthebeautyoftheseasonsperhapsmorethanmostmen。Hesawmoreofitbyday,bynight,instormandsunshine,orinthestill,soft,cloudyweatherHeneverspokeaboutwhathefeltonthesubject;indeed,hedidnotputhisfeelingsintowords,eventohimself,Butifhismoodeverapproachedtothesentimental,itwasonsuchdaysasthis。Herodeintothestable—yard,gavehishorsetoaman,andwentintothehousebyasideentrance。Inthepassagehemetthesquire。’That’scapital,Gibson!whatgoodwindblewyouhere?You’llhavesomelunch?it’sonthetable,Ionlyjustthisminutelefttheroom。’AndhekeptshakingMrGibson’shandallthetimetillhehadplacedhim,nothingloth,atthewell—covereddining—table。’What’sthisIhearaboutRoger?’saidMrGibson,plungingatonceintothesubject。’Aha!soyou’veheard,haveyou?It’sfamous,isitnot?He’saboytobeproudof,isoldRoger。SteadyRoger;weusedtothinkhimslow,butitseemstomethatslowandsurewinstherace。Buttellme;whathaveyouheard?howmuchisknown?Nay,youmusthaveaglassfull。It’soldale,suchaswedon’tbrewnow—a—days;it’sasoldasOsborne。Webreweditthatautumnandwecalledittheyoungsquire’sale。Ithoughttohavetappeditonhismarriage,butIdon’tknowwhenthatwillcometopass,sowe’vetappeditnowinRoger’shonour。’Theoldsquirehadevidentlybeenenjoyingtheyoungsquire’saletothevergeofprudence。Itwasindeedashesaid,(asstrongasbrandy,’andMrGibsonhadtosipitverycarefullyasheatehiscoldroastbeef。’Well!andwhathaveyouheard?There’sadealtohear,andallgoodnews,thoughIshallmissthelad,Iknowthat。’’Ididnotknowitwassettled;Ionlyheardthatitwasinprogress。’’Well,itwasonlyinprogress,asyoucallit,tilllastTuesday。Heneverletmeknowanythingaboutit,though;hesayshethoughtImightbefidgetywiththinkingoftheprosandcons。SoIneverknewawordon’ttillI

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