\"I’mafraidImust。IndeedIhaven’tbroughtmythingswithme。\"
AndthenheagaincaughtMarian’seye,andbegantowishthathisresolutionhadnotbeensosternlymade。
\"IsupposeyouaresofondofthatHouseofAssembly,\"saidMarian,\"thatyoucannottearyourselfawayformorethanoneday。You’llnotbeable,Isuppose,tofindtimetocometoourpicnicnextweek?\"
Mauricesaidhefearedthatheshouldnothavetimetogotoapicnic。
\"Oh,nonsense,\"saidFanny——oneoftheyoungergirls——\"youmustcome。
Wecan’tdowithouthim,canwe?\"
\"Marianhasgotyournamedownthefirstonthelistofthegentlemen,\"saidanother。
\"Yes;andCaptainEwing’ssecond,\"saidBell,theyoungest。
\"I’mafraidImustinduceyoursistertoalterherlist,\"saidMaurice,inhissternestmanner。\"Icannotmanagetogo,andI’msureshewillnotmissme。\"
Marionlookedatthelittlegirlwhohadsounfortunatelymentionedthewarrior’sname,andthelittlegirlknewthatshehadsinned。
\"Oh,wecannotpossiblydowithoutyou;canwe,Marian?\"saidFanny。
\"It’stobeatBingley’sDell,andwe’vegotabedforyouatNewcastle;quitenear,youknow。\"
\"Andanotherfor——\"beganBell,butshestoppedherself。
\"Goawaytoyourlessons,Bell,\"saidMarion。\"Youknowhowangrymammawillbeatyourstayinghereallthemorning;\"andpoorBellwithasorrowfullooklefttheroom。
\"Weareallcertainlyveryanxiousthatyoushouldcome;veryanxiousforagreatmanyreasons,\"saidMarian,inavoicethatwasrathersolemn,andasthoughthematterwereoneofconsiderableimport。
\"Butifyoureallycannot,whyofcoursethereisnomoretobesaid。\"
\"Therewillbeplentywithoutme,Iamsure。\"
\"Asregardsnumbers,Idaresaytherewill;forweshallhaveprettynearlythewholeofthetworegiments;\"andMarianasshealludedtotheofficersspokeinatonewhichmightleadonetothinkthatshewouldmuchratherbewithoutthem;\"butwecountedonyouasbeingoneofourselves;andasyouhadbeenawaysolong,wethought——wethought——,\"andthensheturnedawayherface,anddidnotfinishherspeech。Beforehecouldmakeuphismindastohisanswershehadrisenfromherchair,andwalkedoutoftheroom。Mauricealmostthoughtthathesawatearinhereyeasshewent。
HedidridebacktoSpanishTownthatafternoon,afteranearlydinner;butbeforehewentMarianspoketohimaloneforoneminute。
\"Ihopeyouarenotoffendedwithme,\"shesaid。
\"Offended!ohno;howcouldIbeoffendedwithyou?\"
\"Becauseyouseemsostern。IamsureIwoulddoanythingIcouldtoobligeyou,ifIknewhow。Itwouldbesoshockingnottobegoodfriendswithacousinlikeyou。\"
\"Buttherearesomanydifferentsortsoffriends,\"saidMaurice。
\"Ofcoursethereare。Thereareagreatmanyfriendsthatonedoesnotcareabitfor,——peoplethatonemeetsatballsandplaceslikethat——\"
\"Andatpicnics,\"saidMaurice。
\"’Well,someofthemtheretoo;butwearenotlikethat;arewe?\"
WhatcouldMauricedobutsay,\"no,\"anddeclarethattheirfriendshipwasofawarmerdescription?Andhowcouldheresistpromisingtogotothepicnic,thoughashemadethepromiseheknewthatmiserywouldbeinstoreforhim?Hedidpromise,andthenshegavehimherhandandcalledhimMaurice。
\"Oh!Iamsoglad,\"shesaid。\"Itseemedsoshockingthatyoushouldrefusetojoinus。Andmindandbeearly,Maurice;forI
shallwanttoexplainitall。Wearetomeet,youknow,atCliftonGateatoneo’clock,butdoyoubealittlebeforethat,andweshallbethere。\"
MauriceCummingresolvedwithinhisownbreastasherodebacktoSpanishTown,thatifMarianbehavedtohimallthatdayatthepicnicasshehaddonethisdayatShandyHall,hewouldaskhertobehiswifebeforehelefther。
AndMissJackalsowastobeatthepicnic。
\"Thereisnoneedofgoingearly,\"saidshe,whenhernephewmadeafussaboutthestarting。\"Peopleareneververypunctualatsuchaffairsasthat;andthentheyarealwaysquitelongenough。\"ButMauriceexplainedthathewasanxioustobeearly,andonthisoccasionhecarriedhispoint。
WhentheyreachedCliftonGatetheladieswerealreadythere;notincarriages,aspeoplegotopicnicsinotherandtamercountries,buteachonherownhorseorherownpony。Buttheywerenotalone。
BesideMissLesliewasagentleman,whomMauriceknewasLieutenantGraham,oftheflag—shipatPortRoyal;andatalittledistancewhichquiteenabledhimtojoinintheconversationwasCaptainEwing,thelieutenantwiththenarrowwaistofthepreviousyear。
\"Weshallhaveadelightfulday,MissLeslie,\"saidthelieutenant。
\"Oh,charming,isn’tit?\"saidMarian。
\"Butnowtochooseaplacefordinner,CaptainEwing;——whatdoyousay?\"
\"Willyoucommissionmetoselect?YouknowI’mverywellupingeometry,andallthat?\"
\"Butthatwon’tteachyouwhatsortofaplacedoesforapicnicdinner;——willit,Mr。Cumming?\"AndthensheshookhandswithMaurice,butdidnottakeanyfurtherspecialnoticeofhim。\"We’llallgotogether,ifyouplease。Thecommissionistooimportanttobelefttoone。\"AndthenMarianrodeoff,andthelieutenantandthecaptainrodewithher。
ItwasopenforMauricetojointhemifhechose,buthedidnotchoose。Hehadcomethereeversomuchearlierthanheneedhavedone,dragginghisauntwithhim,becauseMarianhadtoldhimthathisserviceswouldbespeciallyrequiredbyher。Andnowassoonasshesawhimshewentawaywiththetwoofficers!——wentawaywithoutvouchsafinghimaword。Hemadeuphismind,thereonthespot,thathewouldneverthinkofheragain——neverspeaktoherotherwisethanhemightspeaktothemostindifferentofmortals。
Andyethewasamanthatcouldstrugglerightmanfullywiththeworld’stroubles;onewhohadstruggledwiththemfromhisboyhood,andhadneverbeenovercome。Nowhewasunabletoconcealthebitternessofhiswrathbecausealittlegirlhadriddenofftolookforagreenspotforhertableclothwithoutaskinghisassistance!
Picnicsare,Ithink,ingeneral,rathertediousfortheelderlypeoplewhoaccompanythem。Whenthejointsbecomealittlestiff,dinnersareeatenmostcomfortablywiththeaccompanimentofchairsandtables,andaroofoverheadisanagrementdeplus。But,nevertheless,picnicscannotexistwithoutacertainallowanceofelderlypeople。TheMissMariansandCaptainsEwingcannotgoouttodineonthegrasswithoutsomeonetolookafterthem。Sotheelderlypeoplegotopicnics,inadulltameway,doingtheirduty,andwishingthedayover。Nowonthemorninginquestion,whenMarianrodeoffwithCaptainEwingandlieutenantGraham,MauriceCummingremainedamongtheelderlypeople。
AcertainMr。Pomken,agreatJamaicaagriculturist,oneoftheCouncil,amanwhohadknownthegoodoldtimes,gothimbythebuttonandheldhimfast,discoursingwiselyofsugarandruin,ofGadsdenpansandrecreantnegroes,onallofwhichsubjectsMauriceCummingwasknowntohaveanopinionofhisown。ButasMr。Pomken’swordssoundedintooneear,intotheotherfellnotes,listenedtofromafar,——theshrilllaughingvoiceofMarianLeslieasshegaveherhappyordertohersatellitesaroundher,andeverandanonthebasshaw—hawofCaptainEwing,whowasmadewelcomeasthechiefofherattendants。ThateveninginawhispertoabrothercouncillorMr。PomkencommunicatedhisopinionthatafteralltherewasnotsomuchinthatyoungCummingassomepeoplesaid。ButMr。PomkenhadnoideathatthatyoungCummingwasinlove。
Andthenthedinnercame,spreadoverhalfanacre。Mauricewasamongthelastwhoseatedhimself;andwhenhedidsoitwasinanawkwardcomfortlesscorner,behindMr。Pomken’sback,andfarawayfromthelaughterandmirthoftheday。ButyetfromhiscomfortlesscornerhecouldseeMarianasshesatinherprideofpower,withherfriendJuliaDavisnearher,aflirtasbadasherself,andhersatellitesaroundher,obedienttohernod,andhappyinhersmiles。
\"NowIwon’tallowanymorechampagne,\"saidMarian,\"orwhowilltherebesteadyenoughtohelpmeovertherockstothegrotto?\"
\"Oh,youhavepromisedme!\"criedthecaptain。
\"Indeed,Ihavenot;haveI,Julia?\"
\"MissDavishascertainlypromisedme,\"saidthelieutenant。
\"Ihavemadenopromise,anddon’tthinkIshallgoatall,\"saidJulia,whowassometimesinclinedtoimaginethatCaptainEwingshouldbeherownproperty。
AllwhichandmuchmoreofthekindMauriceCummingcouldnothear;
buthecouldsee——andimagine,whichwasworse。Howinnocentandinaneare,afterall,theflirtingsofmostyoungladies,ifalltheirwordsanddoingsinthatlinecouldbebroughttopaper!Idonotknowwhethertherebeasarulemorevocalexpressionofthesentimentoflovebetweenamanandwomanthanthereisbetweentwothrushes!Theywhistleandcalltoeachother,guidedbyinstinctratherthanbyreason。
\"Youaregoinghomewiththeladiesto—night,Ibelieve,\"saidMauricetoMissJack,immediatelyafterdinner。MissJackacknowledgedthatsuchwasherdestinationforthenight。
\"ThenmygoingbacktoSpanishTownatoncewon’thurtanyone——for,totellthetruth,Ihavehadenoughofthiswork。\"
\"Why,Maurice,youwereinsuchahurrytocome。\"
\"ThemorefoolI;andsonowIaminahurrytogoaway。Don’tnoticeittoanybody。\"
MissJacklookedinhisfaceandsawthathewasreallywretched;andsheknewthecauseofhiswretchedness。
\"Don’tgoyet,Maurice,\"shesaid;andthenaddedwithatendernessthatwasquiteuncommonwithher,\"Gotoher,Maurice,andspeaktoheropenlyandfreely,onceforall;youwillfindthatshewilllistenthen。DearMaurice,do,formysake。\"
Hemadenoanswer,butwalkedaway,roamingsadlybyhimselfamongthetrees。\"Listen!\"heexclaimedtohimself。\"Yes,shewillalteradozentimesinasmanyhours。Whocancareforacreaturethatcanchangeasshechanges?\"Andyethecouldnothelpcaringforher。
Ashewenton,climbingamongrocks,heagaincameuponthesoundofvoices,andheardespeciallythatofCaptainEwing。\"Now,MissLeslie,ifyouwilltakemyhandyouwillsoonbeoverallthedifficulty。\"Andthenapartyofsevenoreight,scramblingoversomestones,camenearlyonthelevelonwhichhestood,infullviewofhim;andleadingtheotherswereCaptainEwingandMissLeslie。
Heturnedonhisheeltogoaway,whenhecaughtthesoundofastepfollowinghim,andavoicesaying,\"Oh,thereisMr。Cumming,andI
wanttospeaktohim;\"andinaminutealighthandwasonhisarm。
\"Whyareyourunningawayfromus?\"saidMarian。
\"Because——oh,Idon’tknow。Iamnotrunningaway。Youhaveyourpartymadeup,andIamnotgoingtointrudeonit。\"
\"Whatnonsense!Docomenow;wearegoingtothiswonderfulgrotto。
Ithoughtitsoill—naturedofyou,notjoiningusatdinner。Indeedyouknowyouhadpromised。\"
Hedidnotanswerher,buthelookedather——fullintheface,withhissadeyesladenwithlove。Shehalfunderstoodhiscountenance,butonlyhalfunderstoodit。
\"Whatisthematter,Maurice?\"shesaid。\"Areyouangrywithme?
Willyoucomeandjoinus?\"
\"No,Marian,Icannotdothat。Butifyoucanleavethemandcomewithmeforhalfanhour,Iwillnotkeepyoulonger。\"
Shestoodhesitatingamoment,whilehercompanionremainedonthespotwhereshehadlefthim。\"Come,MissLeslie,\"calledCaptainEwing。\"Youwillhaveitdarkbeforewecangetdown。\"
\"Iwillcomewithyou,\"whisperedshetoMaurice,\"butwaitamoment。\"Andshetrippedback,andinsomefiveminutesreturnedafteraneagerargumentwithherfriends。\"There,\"shesaid,\"I
don’tcareaboutthegrotto,onebit,andIwillwalkwithyounow;——
onlytheywillthinkitsoodd。\"Andsotheystartedofftogether。
BeforethetropicaldarknesshadfallenuponthemMauricehadtoldthetaleofhislove,——andhadtolditinamannerdifferingmuchfromthatofMarian’susualadmirers,hespokewithpassionandalmostwithviolence;hedeclaredthathisheartwassofullofherimagethathecouldnotridhimselfofitforoneminute;\"norwouldhewishtodoso,\"hesaid,\"ifshewouldbehisMarian,hisownMarian,hisveryown。Butifnot——\"andthenheexplainedtoher,withallalover’swarmth,andwithalmostmorethanalover’sliberty,whatwashisideaofherbeing\"hisown,hisveryown,\"andindoingsoinveighedagainstherusuallight—heartednessintermswhichatanyratewerestrongenough。
ButMarianhereitallwell。Perhapssheknewthatthelessonwassomewhatdeserved;andperhapssheappreciatedatitsvaluetheloveofsuchamanasMauriceCumming,weighinginherjudgmentthedifferencebetweenhimandtheEwingsandtheGrahams。
Andthensheansweredhimwellandprudently,withwordswhichstartledhimbytheirprudentseriousnessascomingfromher。Shebeggedhispardonheartily,shesaid,foranygriefwhichshehadcausedhim;butyethowwasshetoheblamed,seeingthatshehadknownnothingofhisfeelings?Herfatherandmotherhadsaidsomethingtoherofthisproposedmarriage;something,butverylittle;andshehadansweredbysayingthatshedidnotthinkMauricehadanywarmerregardforherthanofacousin。Afterthisanswerneitherfathernormotherhadpressedthematterfurther。Astoherownfeelingsshecouldthensaynothing,forshethenknewnothing;——
nothingbutthis,thatshelovednoonebetterthanhim,orratherthatshelovednooneelse。Shewouldaskherselfifshecouldlovehim;buthemustgivehersomelittletimeforthat。Inthemeantime——andshesmiledsweetlyathimasshemadethepromise——shewouldendeavourtodonothingthatwouldoffendhim;andthensheaddedthatonthateveningshewoulddancewithhimanydancesthatheliked。Maurice,withaself—denialthatwasnotverywise,contentedhimselfwithengagingherforthefirstquadrille。
Theyweretodancethatnightinthemess—roomoftheofficersatNewcastle。Thisschemehadbeenaddedonasanadjuncttothepicnic,anditthereforebecamenecessarythattheladiesshouldretiretotheirownortheirfriends’housesatNewcastletoadjusttheirdresses。MarianLeslieandJuliaDaviswerethereaccommodatedwiththeloanofasmallroombythemajor’swife,andastheywerebrushingtheirhair,andputtingontheirdancing—shoes,somethingwassaidbetweenthemaboutMauriceCumming。
\"AndsoyouaretobeMrs。C。ofMountPleasant,\"saidJulia。\"Well;
Ididn’tthinkitwouldcometothatatlast。\"
\"Butithasnotcometothat,andifitdidwhyshouldInotbeMrs。
C。,asyoucallit?\"
\"Theknightoftheruefulcountenance,Icallhim。\"
\"Itellyouwhatthen,heisanexcellentyoungman,andthefactisyoudon’tknowhim。\"
\"Idon’tlikeexcellentyoungmenwithlongfaces。Isupposeyouwon’tbelettodancequickdancesatallnow。\"
\"IshalldancewhateverdancesIlike,asIhavealwaysdone,\"saidMarian,withsomelittleasperityinhertone。
\"Notyou;orifyoudo,you’llloseyourpromotion。You’llneverlivetobemyLadyRue。AndwhatwillGrahamsay?Youknowyou’vegivenhimhalfapromise。\"
\"That’snottrue,Julia;——Inevergavehimthetenthpartofapromise。\"
\"Well,hesaysso;\"andthenthewordsbetweentheyoungladiesbecamealittlemoreangry。But,nevertheless,induetimetheycameforthwithfacessmilingasusual,withtheirhairbrushed,andwithoutanysignsofwarfare。
ButMarianhadtostandanotherattackbeforethebusinessoftheeveningcommenced,andthiswasfromnolessdoughtyanantagonistthanheraunt,MissJack。MissJacksoonfoundthatMauricehadnotkepthisthreatofgoinghome;andthoughshedidnotabsolutelylearnfromhimthathehadgonesofartowardsperfectingherdearesthopesastomakeaformaloffertoMarion,neverthelessshedidgatherthatthingswerefastthatwaytending。Ifonlythisdancingwereover!shesaidtoherself,dreadingtheunnumberedwaltzeswithEwing,andtheviolentpolkaswithGraham。SoMissJackresolvedtosayonewordtoMarian——\"Awisewordingoodseason,\"saidMissJacktoherself,\"howsweetathingitis。\"
\"Marian,\"saidshe。\"Stephereamoment,Iwanttosayawordtoyou。\"
\"Yes,auntSarah,\"saidMarian,followingherauntintoacorner,notquiteinthebesthumourintheworld;forshehadadreadofsomefurtherinterference。
\"AreyougoingtodancewithMauriceto—night?\"
\"Yes,Ibelieveso,——thefirstquadrille。\"
\"Well,whatIwasgoingtosayisthis。Idon’twantyoutodancemanyquickdancesto—night,forareasonIhave;——thatis,notagreatmany。\"
\"Why,aunt,whatnonsense!\"
\"Nowmydearest,dearestgirl,itisallforyourownsake。Well,then,itmustout。Hedoesnotlikeit,youknow。\"
\"Whathe?\"
\"Maurice。\"
\"Well,aunt,Idon’tknowthatI’mboundtodanceornottodancejustasMr。Cummingmaylike。Papadoesnotmindmydancing。Thepeoplehavecomeheretodanceandyoucanhardlywanttomakemeridiculousbysittingstill。\"Andsothatwiseworddidnotappeartobeverysweet。
Andthentheamusementoftheeveningcommenced,andMarianstoodupforaquadrillewithherlover。Shehoweverwasnotintheverybesthumour。Shehad,asshethought,saidanddoneenoughforonedayinMaurice’sfavour。Andshehadnoidea,asshedeclaredtoherself,ofbeinglecturedbyauntSarah。
\"DearestMarion,\"hesaidtoher,asthequadrillecametoaclose,\"itisanyourpowertomakemesohappy,——soperfectlyhappy。\"
\"Butthenpeoplehavesuchdifferentideasofhappiness,\"shereplied。\"Theycan’tallseewiththesameeyes,youknow。\"Andsotheyparted。
Butduringtheearlypartoftheeveningshewassufficientlydiscreet;shedidwaltzwithLieutenantGraham,andpolkwithCaptainEwing,butshedidsoinatamermannerthanwasusualwithher,andshemadenoemulousattemptstodancedownothercouples。Whenshehaddoneshewouldsitdown,andthensheconsentedtostandupfortwoquadrilleswithtwoverytamegentlemen,towhomnolovercouldobject。
\"Andso,Marian,yourwingsareregularlyclippedatlast,\"saidJuliaDaviscominguptoher。
\"Nomoreclippedthanyourown,\"saidMarian。
\"IfSirRuewon’tletyouwaltznow,whatwillherequireofyouwhenyou’remarriedtohim?\"
\"IamjustaswellabletowaltzwithwhomIlikeasyouare,Julia;
andifyousaysointhatway,Ishallthinkit’senvy。\"
\"Ha——ha——ha;Imayhaveenviedyousomeofyourbeauxbeforenow;I
daresayIhave。ButIcertainlydonotenvyyouSirRue。\"Andthenshewentofftoherpartner。
AllthiswastoomuchforMarian’sweakstrength,andbeforelongshewasagainwhirlingroundwithCaptainEwing。\"Come,MissLeslie,\"
saidhe,\"letusseewhatwecando。GrahamandJuliaDavishavebeensayingthatyourwaltzingdaysareover,butIthinkwecanputthemdown。\"
Marianasshegotup,andraisedherarminorderthatEwingmightputhisroundherwaist,caughtMaurice’seyeasheleanedagainstawall,andreadinitasternrebuke。\"Thisistoobad,\"shesaidtoherself。\"Heshallnotmakeaslaveofme,atanyrateasyet。\"Andawayshewentasmadly,moremadlythanever,andfortherestoftheeveningshedancedwithCaptainEwingandwithhimalone。
Thereisanintoxicationquitedistinctfromthatwhichcomesfromstrongdrink。Whenthejudgmentisaltogetherovercomebythespiritsthisspeciesofdrunkennesscomeson,andinthiswayMarianLesliewasdrunkthatnight。FortwohoursshedancedwithCaptainEwing,andeverandanonshekeptsayingtoherselfthatshewouldteachtheworldtoknow——andofalltheworldMr。Cummingespecially—
—thatshemightbelead,butnotdriven。
Thenaboutfouro’clockshewenthome,andassheattemptedtoundressherselfinherownroomsheburstintoviolenttearsandopenedherhearttohersister——\"Oh,Fanny,Idolovehim,Idolovehimsodearly!andnowhewillnevercometomeagain!\"
Mauricestoodstillwithhisbackagainstthewall,forthefulltwohoursofMarian’sexhibition,andthenhesaidtohisauntbeforeheleft——\"Ihopeyouhavenowseenenough;youwillhardlymentionhernametomeagain。\"MissJackgroanedfromthebottomofherheartbutshesaidnothing。Shesaidnothingthatnighttoanyone;butshelayawakeinherbed,thinking,tillitwastimetoriseanddressherself。\"AskMissMariantocometome,\"shesaidtotheblackgirlwhocametoassisther。Butitwasnottillshehadsentthreetimes,thatMissMarianobeyedthesummons。
Atthreeo’clockonthefollowingdayMissJackarrivedatherownhalldoorinSpanishTown。Longasthedistancewassheordinarilyrodeitall,butonthisoccasionshehadprovidedacarriagetobringheroverasmuchofthejourneyasitwaspracticableforhertoperformonwheels。AssoonasshereachedherownhalldoorsheaskedifMr。Cummingwasathome。\"Yes,\"theservantsaid。\"Hewasinthesmallbook—room,atthebackofthehouse,upstairs。\"
Silently,asifafraidofbeingheard,shesteppedupherownstairsintoherowndrawing—room;andverysilentlyshewasfollowedbyapairoffeetlighterandsmallerthanherown。
MissJackwasusuallysomewhatofadespotinherownhouse,buttherewasnothingdespoticabouthernowasshepeeredintothebook—
room。Thisshedidwithherbonnetstillon,lookingroundthehalf—
openeddoorasthoughshewereafraidtodisturbhernephew,hesatatthewindowlookingoutintotheverandahwhichranbehindthehouse,sointentonhisthoughtsthathedidnothearher。
\"Maurice,\"shesaid,\"canIcomein?\"
\"Comein?ohyes,ofcourse;\"andheturnedroundsharplyather。\"I
tellyouwhat,aunt;IamnotwellhereandIcannotstayoutthesession。IshallgobacktoMountPleasant。\"
\"Maurice,\"andshewalkedcloseuptohimasshespoke,\"Maurice,I
havebroughtsomeonewithmetoaskyourpardon。\"
Hisfacebecamereduptotherootsofhishairashestoodlookingatherwithoutanswering。\"Youwouldgrantitcertainly,\"shecontinued,\"ifyouknewhowmuchitwouldbevalued。\"
\"Whomdoyoumean?whoisit?\"heaskedatlast。
\"Onewholovesyouaswellasyouloveher——andshecannotloveyoubetter。Comein,Marian。\"Thepoorgirlcreptinatthedoor,ashamedofwhatshewasinducedtodo,butyetlookinganxiouslyintoherlover’sface。\"Youaskedheryesterdaytobeyourwife,\"saidMissJack,\"andshedidnotthenknowherownmind。Nowshehashadalesson。Youwillaskheronceagain;willyounot,Maurice?\"
Whatwashetosay?howwashetorefuse,whenthatsoftlittlehandwasheldouttohim;whenthoseeyesladenwithtearsjustventuredtolookintohisface?
\"IbegyourpardonifIangeredyoulastnight,\"shesaid。
InhalfaminuteMissJackhadlefttheroom,andinthespaceofanotherthirtysecondsMauricehadforgivenher。\"Iamyourownnow,youknow,\"shewhisperedtohiminthecourseofthatlongevening。
\"Yesterday,youknow——,\"butthesentencewasneverfinished。
ItwasinvainthatJuliaDaviswasill—naturedandsarcastic,invainthatEwingandGrahammadejointattemptuponherconstancy。
Fromthatnighttothemorningofhermarriage——andtheintervalwasonlythreemonths——MarianLesliewasneverknowntoflirt。