登陆注册
15289300000029

第29章

"Wonderful news!" cried Mr. Vanstone, returning the letter. "I'm delighted--I must go back and tell them at home. This is fifty times the chance that mine was. What the deuce do you mean by abusing Society? Society has behaved uncommonly well, in my opinion. Where's Frank?""Lurking," said Mr. Clare. "It is one of the intolerable peculiarities of louts that they always lurk. I haven't seen my lout this morning. It you meet with him anywhere, give him a kick, and say I want him."Mr. Clare's opinion of his son's habits might have been expressed more politely as to form; but, as to substance, it happened, on that particular morning, to be perfectly correct. After leaving Magdalen, Frank had waited in the shrubbery, at a safe distance, on the chance that she might detach herself from her sister's company, and join him again. Mr. Vanstone's appearance immediately on Norah's departure, instead of encouraging him to show himself, had determined him on returning to the cottage. He walked back discontentedly; and so fell into his father's clutches, totally unprepared for the pending announcement, in that formidable quarter, of his departure for London.

In the meantime, Mr. Vanstone had communicated his news--in the first place, to Magdalen, and afterward, on getting back to the house, to his wife and Miss Garth. He was too unobservant a man to notice that Magdalen looked unaccountably startled, and Miss Garth unaccountably relieved, by his announcement of Frank's good fortune. He talked on about it, quite unsuspiciously, until the luncheon-bell rang--and then, for the first time, he noticed Norah's absence. She sent a message downstairs, after they had assembled at the table, to say that a headache was keeping her in her own room. When Miss Garth went up shortly afterward to communicate the news about Frank, Norah appeared, strangely enough, to feel very little relieved by hearing it. Mr. Francis Clare had gone away on a former occasion (she remarked), and had come back. He might come back again, and sooner than they any of them thought for. She said no more on the subject than this: she made no reference to what had taken place in the shrubbery. Her unconquerable reserve seemed to have strengthened its hold on her since the outburst of the morning. She met Magdalen, later in the day, as if nothing had happened: no formal reconciliation took place between them. It was one of Norah's peculiarities to shrink from all reconciliations that were openly ratified, and to take her shy refuge in reconciliations that were silently implied. Magdalen saw plainly, in her look and manner, that she had made her first and last protest. Whether the motive was pride, or sullenness, or distrust of herself, or despair of doing good, the result was not to be mistaken--Norah had resolved on remaining passive for the future.

Later in the afternoon, Mr. Vanstone suggested a drive to his eldest daughter, as the best remedy for her headache. She readily consented to accompany her father; who thereupon proposed, as usual, that Magdalen should join them. Magdalen was nowhere to be found. For the second time that day she had wandered into the grounds by herself. On this occasion, Miss Garth--who, after adopting Norah's opinions, had passed from the one extreme of over- looking Frank altogether, to the other extreme of believing him capable of planning an elopement at five minutes' notice--volunteered to set forth immediately, and do her best to find the missing young lady. After a prolonged absence, she returned unsuccessful--with the strongest persuasion in her own mind that Magdalen and Frank had secretly met one another somewhere, but without having discovered the smallest fragment of evidence to confirm her suspicions. By this time the carriage was at the door, and Mr. Vanstone was unwilling to wait any longer. He and Norah drove away together; and Mrs. Vanstone and Miss Garth sat at home over their work.

In half an hour more, Magdalen composedly walked into the room. She was pale and depressed. She received Miss Garth's remonstrances with a weary inattention; explained carelessly that she had been wandering in the wood; took up some books, and put them down again; sighed impatiently, and went away upstairs to her own room.

"I think Magdalen is feeling the reaction, after yesterday," said Mrs. Vanstone, quietly. "It is just as we thought. Now the theatrical amusements are all over, she is fretting for more."Here was an opportunity of letting in the light of truth on Mrs. Vanstone's mind, which was too favorable to be missed. Miss Garth questioned her conscience, saw her chance, and took it on the spot.

"You forget," she rejoined, "that a certain neighbor of ours is going away to-morrow. Shall I tell you the truth? Magdalen is fretting over the departure of Francis Clare."Mrs. Vanstone looked up from her work with a gentle, smiling surprise.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 恶水:荒村诡异事件簿【大赛】

    恶水:荒村诡异事件簿【大赛】

    没有女人的偏僻村庄,神秘的童谣杀人案,山上与村里人的对抗,妖气弥漫的戏台,人性与兽性的交战,迷底总是人心险恶。
  • 谋皇

    谋皇

    一道皇令,乱了牵好的红线;一场帝争,成王败寇如何!
  • 村南旧事

    村南旧事

    在梦中,追着山风,邂逅一段村南旧事,一段童年的旧事,一段留守的旧事,一段你们的旧事
  • 狐恋之还你一世情缘

    狐恋之还你一世情缘

    她本是血巫族最年轻,最强大的血巫圣女,因被最爱的人背叛出卖,不得不斩断情丝,以灵魂为引,以鲜血为媒,启动血巫族最强大的禁咒,阻止魔族入侵。他本是狐族之王,只因在哪落英缤纷的桃花林里,那不经意的一瞥,为她放弃了万年修为。
  • 解码赵泰来

    解码赵泰来

    《解码赵泰来》主要内容包括:匆匆过客故人缘,直笔人戮赵秉钧,“出世人世”伍廷芳,“革命圣人”朱执信,“晚节不保”郑孝胥,生于寒露不逢时,“哑巴”童年不言愁,动荡岁月倍寒心,非法探亲过香江等。
  • 焚天邪皇

    焚天邪皇

    【玄幻频道热门新书】我若要有,天不可无!我若要无,天不许有!人世不平,伏尸万里!天道不公,怒火焚天!………………………………已有过400万字正常完本,诸君请放心入坑。
  • 还心人

    还心人

    神秘无心之婴的将临,引发了一系列怪异之事…结阴婚,太白陵,妖王谷,万尸塔…………魔星降临人世,六界顷刻之间生灵涂炭……且看张旭是如何挽救六界,还世间一个安宁!
  • 迷魂计

    迷魂计

    一线巨星杜宇离婚后过着苦行僧般的生活,感情生活成迷。外界盛传他与海云集团貌美如花的女老总有夫之妇景云儿有着说不清道不明的关系。而事实上,杜宇深爱着景云儿的闺蜜:另一位高知女老总王芳。可是造化弄人,娱乐圈的是是非非让爱人心碎。一次次的错过,一次次的彼此折磨,最终这对苦命鸳鸯是否能守得云开见月明,赢来爱情的春天?
  • 课堂只做简单的事

    课堂只做简单的事

    本书记录了作者从不同角度俯看教育的现象与思考,内容包括:从课例看“状态”为了孩子的一切,为了一切的孩子教师要学一点医学常识爱,也会转弯老教师是一座富矿等。
  • 月夜之歌

    月夜之歌

    平生不会相思,才会相思,便害相思。等我,我会等你十年,一百年,一千年...等你回来。她,被种族抛弃,拥有一半鬼族的身份。她,是亡国公主,带着怨恨来到人世。双方相遇,吐诉各自的点点滴滴,历经磨难。她,终究还是会离开她,但她不怕,因为,她会等。