Mollytooktheletterdownwithoutaword,andbegantocopyitatthewriting—table;oftenreadingoverwhatshewasallowedtoread;oftenpausing,hercheekonherhand,hereyesontheletter,andlettingherimaginationrovetothewriter,andallthescenesinwhichshehadeitherseenhimherself,orinwhichherfancyhadpaintedhim。ShewasstartledfromhermeditationsbyCynthia’ssuddenentranceintothedrawing—room,lookingthepictureofglowingdelight。’Noonehere!Whatablessing!Ah,MissMolly,youaremoreeloquentthanyoubelieveyourself。Lookhere!’holdingupalargefullenvelope,andthenquicklyreplacingitinherpocket,asifshewasafraidofbeingseen。’What’sthematter,sweetone?’comingupandcaressingMolly。’Isitworryingitselfoverthatletter?Why,don’tyouseethesearemyveryownhorribleletters,thatIamgoingtoburndirectly,thatMrPrestonhashadthegracetosendme,thankstoyou,littleMolly—cuishlamachree,pulseofmyheart,—thelettersthathavebeenhangingovermyheadlikesomebody’sswordforthesetwoyears?’
’Oh,Iamsoglad!’saidMolly,rousingupalittle。’Ineverthoughthewouldhavesentthem。HeisbetterthanIbelievedhim。Andnowitisallover。Iamsoglad。Youquitethinkhemeanstogiveupallclaimoveryoubythis,don’tyou,Cynthia?’
’Hemayclaim,butIwon’tbeclaimed;andhehasnoproofsnow。Itisthemostcharmingrelief;andIoweitalltoyou,youpreciouslittlelady!Nowthereisonlyonethingmoretobedone;andifyouwouldbutdoitforme——?’(coaxingandcaressingwhilesheaskedthequestion)。
’Oh,Cynthia,don’taskme;Icannotdoanymore。Youdon’tknowhowsickIgowhenIthinkofyesterday,andMrSheepshanks’look。’
’Itisonlyaverylittlething。Iwon’tburdenyourconsciencewithtellingyouhowIgetmyletters,butitisnotthroughapersonIcantrustwithmoney;andImustforcehimtotakebackhistwenty—threepoundsoddshillings。Ihaveputittogetherattherateoffivepercent。,andit’ssealedup。Oh,Molly,Ishouldgooffwithsuchalightheartifyouwouldonlytrytogetitsafelytohim。It’sthelastthing;therewouldbenoimmediatehurry,youknow。Youmightmeethimbychanceinashop,inthestreet,evenataparty—andifyouonlyhaditwithyouinyourpocket,therewouldbenothingsoeasy。’
Mollywassilent。’Papawouldgiveittohim。Therewouldbenoharminthat。Iwouldtellhimhemustasknoquestionsastowhatitwas。’
’Verywell,’saidCynthia,’haveityourownway。Ithinkmywayisthebest;forifanyofthisaffaircomesout——Butyou’vedoneagreatdealformealready,andIwon’tblameyounowfordecliningtodoanymore!’
’Idosodislikehavingtheseunderhanddealingswithhim,’pleadedMolly。
’Underhand!justsimplygivinghimaletterfromme!IfIleftanoteforMissBrowning,shouldyoudislikegivingittoher?’
’Youknowthat’sverydifferent。Icoulddoitopenly。’
’Andyettheremightbewritinginthat;andtherewouldnotbealinewiththemoney。Itwouldonlybethewinding—up—thehonourable,honestwinding—upofanaffairwhichhasworriedmeforyears!Butdoasyoulike!’
’Giveitme!’saidMolly。’Iwilltry。’
’There’sadarling!Youcanbuttry;andifyoucan’tgiveittohiminprivate,withoutgettingyourselfintoascrape,why,keepittillI
comebackagain。Heshallhaveitthen,whetherhewillorno!’
Mollylookedforwardtohertê;te—?tê;tetwodayswithMrsGibsonwithverydifferentanticipationstothosewithwhichshehadwelcomedthesimilarintercoursewithherfather。Inthefirstplace,therewasnoaccompanyingthetravellerstotheinnfromwhichthecoachstarted;
leave—takinginthemarket—placewasquiteoutoftheboundsofMrsGibson’ssenseofpropriety。Besidesthis,itwasagloomy,rainyevenyoing,andcandleshadtobebroughtinatanunusuallyearlyhour。Therewouldbenobreakforsixhours—nomusic,noreading;butthetwoladieswouldsitattheirworstedwork,patteringawayatsmall—talk,withnoteventheusualbreakofdinner;for,tosuittherequirementsofthosewhowereleaving,theyhadalreadydinedearly。ButMrsGibsonreallymeanttomakeMollyhappy,andtriedtobeanagreeablecompanion,onlyMollywasnotwell,anduneasyaboutmanyapprehendedcaresandtroubles—andatsuchhoursofindispositionasshewasthenpassingthrough,apprehensionstaketheshapeofcertainties,lyingawaitinourpaths。Mollywouldhavegivenagooddealtohaveshakenoffallthesefeelings,unusualenoughtoher;
buttheveryhouseandfurniture,andrain—blurredouterlandscape,seemedsteepedwithunpleasantassociations,mostofthemdatingfromthelastfewdays。
’YouandImustgoonthenextjourney,Ithink,mydear,’saidMrsGibson,almostchiminginwithMolly’swishthatshecouldgetawayfromHollingfordintosomenewairandlife,foraweekortwo。’Wehavebeenstay—at—homesforalongtime,andvarietyofsceneissodesirablefortheyoung!ButIthinkthetravellerswillbewishingthemselvesathomebythisnicebrightfireside。"There’snoplacelikehome,"asthepoetsays。’"MidpleasuresandpalacesalthoughImayroam,"itbegins,andit’sbothveryprettyandverytrue。It’sagreatblessingtohavesuchadearlittlehomeasthis,isnotit,Molly?’
’Yes,’saidMolly,ratherdrearily,havingsomethingofthe’Toujoursperdrix’feelingatthemoment。Ifshecouldbuthavegoneawaywithherfather,justfortwodays,howpleasantitwouldhavebeen。
’Tobesure,love,itwouldbeveryniceforyouandmetogoalittlejourneyallbyourselves。YouandI。Nooneelse。Ifitwerenotsuchmiserableweatherwewouldhavegoneoffonalittleimpromptutour。I’vebeenlongingforsomethingofthekindforsomeweeks;butwelivesucharestrictedkindoflifehere!IdeclaresometimesIgetquitesickoftheverysightofthechairsandtablesthatIknowsowell。Andonemissestheotherstoo!Itseemssoflatanddesertedwithoutthem!’
’Yes!Weareveryforlornto—night;butIthinkit’spartlyowingtotheweather!’
’Nonsense,dear。Ican’thaveyougivingintothesillyfancyofbeingaffectedbyweather。PoordearMrKirkpatrickusedtosay,"acheerfulheartmakesitsownsunshine。"Hewouldsayittome,inhisprettyway,wheneverIwasalittlelow—forIamacompletebarometer—youmayreallyjudgeofthestateoftheweatherbymyspirits,Ihavealwaysbeensuchasensitivecreature!ItiswellforCynthiathatshedoesnotinheritit;Idon’tthinkhereasilyaffectedinanyway,doyou?’
Mollythoughtforaminuteortwo,andthenreplied,—’No,sheiscertainlynoteasilyaffected—notdeeplyaffectedperhapsIshouldsay。’
’Manygirls,forinstance,wouldhavebeentouchedbytheadmirationsheexcited—Imaysaytheattentionsshereceivedwhenshewasatheruncle’slastsummer。’
’AtMrKirkpatrick’s?’
’Yes。TherewasMrHenderson,thatyounglawyer;that’stosayheisstudyinglaw,buthehasagoodprivatefortuneandislikelytohavemore,sohecan’onlybewhatIcallplayingatlaw。MrHendersonwasoverheadandearsinlovewithher。Itisnotmyfancy,althoughIgrantmothersarepartial;bothMrandMrsKirkpatricknoticedit;andinoneofMrsKirkpatrick’sletters,shesaidthatpoorMrHendersonwasgoingintoSwitzerlandforthelongvacation,’doubtlesstotryandforgetCynthia;butshereallybelievedhewouldfinditonlydraggingateachremovealengtheningchain。
Ithoughtitsucharefinedquotation,andaltogetherwordedsoprettily。
YoumustknowauntKirkpatricksomeday,Molly,mylove:sheiswhatI
callawomanofatrulyelegantmind。’
’Ican’thelpthinkingitwasapitythatCynthiadidnottellthemofherengagement。’
’Itisnotanengagement,mydear!HowoftenmustItellyouthat?’
’ButwhatamItocallit?’
’Idon’tseewhyyouneedtocallitanything。IndeedIdon’tunderstandwhatyoumeanby"it。"Youshouldalwaystrytoexpressyourselfintelligibly。
ItreallyisoneofthefirstprinciplesoftheEnglishlanguage。Infact,philosophersmightaskwhatislanguagegivenusforatall,ifitisnotthatwemaymakeourmeaningunderstood?’
’ButthereissomethingbetweenCynthiaandRoger;theyaremoretoeachotherthanIamtoOsborne,forinstance。WhatamItocallit?’
’Youshouldnotcoupleyournamewiththatofanyunmarriedyoungman;
itissodifficulttoteachyoudelicacy,child。PerhapsonemaysaythereisapeculiarrelationbetweendearCynthiaandRoger,butitisverydifficulttocharacterizeit;Ihavenodoubtthatisthereasonsheshrinksfromspeakingaboutit。For,betweenourselves,Molly,Ireallysometimesthinkitwillcometonothing。Heissolongaway,and,privatelyspeaking,Cynthiaisnotveryveryconstant。Ionceknewherverymuchtakenbefore—thatlittleaffairisquitegoneby;andshewasveryciviltoMrHenderson,inherway;Ifancysheinheritsit,forwhenIwasagirlIwasbesetbylovers,andcouldneverfindinmyhearttoshakethemoff。Youhavenothearddearpapasayanythingoftheoldsquire,ordearOsborne,haveyou?ItseemssolongsincewehaveheardorseenanythingofOsborne。
Buthemustbequitewell,Ithink,orweshouldhaveheardofit。’
’Ibelieveheisquitewell。Someonesaidtheotherdaythattheyhadmethimriding—itwasMrsGoodenough,nowIremember—andthathewaslookingstrongerthanhehaddoneforyears。’
’Indeed!Iamtrulygladtohearit。IalwayswasfondofOsborne;and,doyouknow,IneverreallytooktoRoger;Irespectedhimandallthat,ofcourse。ButtocomparehimwithMrHenderson!MrHendersonissohandsomeandwell—bred,andgetsallhisglovesfromHoubigant!’
ItwastruethattheyhadnotseenanythingofOsborneHamleyforalongtime;but,asitoftenhappens,justaftertheyhadbeenspeakingabouthimheappeared。ItwasonthedayfollowingonMrGibson’sdeparturethatMrsGibsonhadreceivedoneofthenotes,notsocommonnowasformerly,fromthefamilyintownaskinghertogoovertotheTowers,andfindabook,oramanuscript,orsomethingorotherthatLadyCumnorwantedwithallaninvalid’simpatience。Itwasjustthekindofemploymentsherequiredforanamusementonagloomyday,anditputherintoagood。humourimmediately。
Therewasacertainconfidentialimportanceaboutit,anditwasavariety,anditgaveherthepleasantdriveinaflyupthenobleavenue,andthesenseofbeingthetemporarymistressofallthegrandroomsoncesofamiliartoher。SheaskedMollytoaccompanyher,outofanaccessofkindness,butwasnotatallsorrywhenMollyexcusedherselfandpreferredstoppingathome。Ateleveno’clockMrsGibsonwasoff,allinherSundaybest(tousetheservant’sexpression,whichsheherselfwouldsohavecontemned),well—dressedinordertoimposeontheservantsattheTowers,fortherewasnooneelsetobeseenortobeseenby。
’Ishallnotbeathomeuntiltheafternoon,mydear!ButIhopeyouwillnotfinditdull。Idon’tthinkyouwill,foryouaresomethinglikeme,mylove—neverlessalonethanwhenalone,asoneofthegreatauthorshasjustlyexpressedit。’
MollyenjoyedherhousetoherselftothefullasmuchasMrsGibsonwouldenjoyhavingtheTowerstoherself。Sheventuredonhavingherlunchbroughtuponatrayintothedrawing—room,sothatshemightcathersandwicheswhileshewentonwithherbook。Inthemiddle,MrOsborneHamleywasannounced。
Hecamein,lookingwretchedlyillinspiteofpurblindMrsGoodenough’sreportofhishealthyappearance。
’Thiscallisnotonyou,Molly,’saidhe,afterthefirstgreetingswereover。’IwasinhopesImighthavefoundyourfatherathome;Ithoughtlunch—timewasthebesthour。’Hehadsatedown,asifthoroughlygladoftherest,andfallenintoalanguidstoopingposition,asifithadbecomesonaturaltohimthatnosenseofwhatwereconsideredgoodmannerssufficedtorestrainhimnow。
’Ihopeyoudidnotwanttoseehimprofessionally?’saidMolly,wonderingifshewaswiseinalludingtohishealth,yeturgedtoitbyherrealanxiety。
’Yes,Idid。IsupposeImayhelpmyselftoabiscuitandaglassofwine?No,don’tringformore。Icouldnoteatitifitwashere。ButI
justwantamouthful;thisisquiteenough,thankyou。Whenwillyourfatherbeback?’
’HewassummoneduptoLondon。LadyCumnorisworse。Ifancythereissomeoperationgoingon;butIdon’tknow。Hewillbebackto—morrownight。’
’Verywell。ThenImustwait。PerhapsIshallbebetterbythattime。
Ithinkit’shalffancy;butIshouldlikeyourfathertotellmeso。Hewilllaughatme,Idaresay;butIdon’tthinkIshallmindthat。Healwaysissevereonfancifulpatients,isnothe,Molly?’
MollythoughtthatifhesawOsborne’slooksjustnowhewouldhardlythinkhimfanciful,orbeinclinedtobesevere。Butsheonlysaid,—’Papaenjoysajokeateverything,youknow。Itisareliefafterallthesorrowhesees。’
’Verytrue。Thereisagreatdealofsorrowintheworld。Idon’tthinkit’saveryhappyplaceafterall。SoCynthiaisgonetoLondon,’headded,afterapause,’IthinkIshouldliketohaveseenheragain。PooroldRoger!Helovesherverydearly,Molly,’hesaid。Mollyhardlyknewhowtoanswerhiminallthis;shewassostruckbythechangeinbothvoiceandmanner。
’MammahasgonetotheTowers,’shebegan,atlength。’LadyCumnorwantedseveralthingsthatmammaonlycanfind。Shewillbesorrytomissyou。
Wewerespeakingofyouonlyyesterday,andshesaidhowlongitwassincewehadseenyou。’
’IthinkI’vegrowncareless;IhaveoftenfeltsowearyandillthatitwasallIcoulddotokeepupabravefacebeforemyfather。’
’Whydidyounotcomeandseepapa?’saidMolly;’orwritetohim?’
’Icannottell。Idriftedonsometimesbetter,andsometimesworse,tillto—dayImustereduppluck,andcametohearwhatyourfatherhasgottotellme:andallfornouseitseems。’
’Iamverysorry。Butitisonlyfortwodays。Heshallgoandseeyouassoonaseverhereturns。’
’Hemustnotalarmmyfather,remember,Molly,’saidOsborne,liftinghimselfbythearmsofhischairintoanuprightpositionandspeakingeagerlyforthemoment。’IwishtoGodRogerwasathome,’saidhe,fallingbackintotheoldposture。
’Ican’thelpunderstandingyou,’saidMolly。’Youthinkyourselfveryill;butisnotitthatyouaretiredjustnow?’Shewasnotsureifsheoughttohaveunderstoodwhatwaspassinginhismind;butasshedid,shecouldnothelpspeakingatruereply。
’Well,sometimesIdothinkI’mveryill;andthen,again,Ithinkit’sonlythemopinglifesetsmefancyingandexaggerating。’Hewassilentforsometime。Then,asifhehadtakenasuddenresolution,hespokeagain。
’Youseethereareothersdependinguponme—uponmyhealth。Youhavenotforgottenwhatyouheardthatdayinthelibraryathome?No,Iknowyouhavenot。Ihaveseenthethoughtofitinyoureyesoftensincethen。
Ididnotknowyouatthattime。IthinkIdonow。’
’Don’tgoontalkingsofast,’saidMolly。’Rest。Noonewillinterruptus;Iwillgoonwithmysewing;whenyouwanttosayanythingmoreIshallbelistening。’Forshehadbeenalarmedatthestrangepallorthathadcomeoverhisface。
’Thankyou。’Afteratimeherousedhimself,andbegantospeakveryquietly,asifonanindifferentmatteroffact。
’ThenameofmywifeisAimé;e。Aimé;eHamleyofcourse。
ShelivesatBishopsfield,avillagenearWinchester。Writeitdown,butkeepittoyourself。SheisaFrenchwoman,aRomanCatholic,andwasaservant。Sheisathoroughlygoodwoman。Imustnotsayhowdearsheistome。Idarenot。Imean。toncetohavetoldCynthia,butshedidnotseemquitetoconsidermeasabrother。Perhapsshewasshyofanewrelation,butyou’llgivemylovetoher,allthesame。Itisarelieftothinkthatsomeoneelsehasmysecret;andyouarelikeoneofus,Molly。IcantrustyoualmostasIcantrustRoger。IfeelbetteralreadynowIfeelthatsomeoneelseknowsthewhereaboutsofmywifeandchild。’
’Child!’saidMolly,surprised。Butbeforehecouldreply,Mariahadannounced,—
’MissPhoebeBrowning。’
’Foldupthatpaper,’saidhe,quickly,puttingsomethingintoherhands。
’Itisonlyforyourself。’
chapter46
CHAPTERXLVIHOLLINGFORDGOSSIPS
’MYdearMolly,whydidn’tyoucomeanddinewithus?IsaidtosisterIwouldcomeandscoldyouwell。Oh,MrOsborneHamley,isthatyou?’andalookofmistakenintelligenceatthetê;te—?tê;teshehaddisturbedcamesoperceptiblyoverMissPhoebe’sfacethatMollyruscaughtOsborne’ssympatheticeye,andbothsmiledatthenotion。
’I’msureI—well!onemustsometimes—Iseeourdinnerwouldhavebeen—’Thensherecoveredherselfintoaconnectedsentence。’WeonlyjustheardofMrsGibson’shavingaflyfromthe"George,"becausesistersentourNancytopayforacoupleofrabbitsTomOstlerhadsnared(I
hopeweshan’tbetakenupforpoachers,MrOsborne—snaringdoesn’trequirealicence,Ibelieve?),andsheheardhewasgoneoffwiththeflytotheTowerswithyourdearmamma;forCoxewhodrivestheflyingeneralhassprainedhisankle。Wehadjustfinisheddinner,butwhenNancysaidTomOstlerwouldnotbebacktillnightIsaid,"Why,there’sthatpoordeargirlleftallalonebyherself,andhermothersuchafriendofours,"
—whenshewasalive,Imean,ButI’msureI’mgladI’mmistaken。’
Osbornesaid,—’IcametospeaktoMrGibson,notknowinghehadgonetoLondon,andMissGibsonkindlygavemesomeofherlunch。Imustgonow。’
’Ohdear!Iamsosorry,’flutteredoutMissPhoebe,’Idisturbedyou;
butitwaswiththebestintentions。Ialwayswasmal—à;proposfromachild。’ButOsbornewasgonebeforeshehadfinishedherapologies。Beforeheleft,hiseyesmetMolly’swithastrangelookofyearningfarewellthatstruckheratthetime,andthatsherememberedstronglyafterwards。
’Suchanicesuitablething,andIcameinthemidst,andspoiltitall。
Iamsureyou’reverykind,mydear,considering—’t’Consideringwhat,mydearMissPhoebe?IfyouareconjecturingaloveaffairbetweenMrOsborneHamleyandme,youneverweremoremistakeninyourlife。IthinkItoldyousooncebefore。Pleasedobelieveme。’
’Oh,yes!Iremember。AndsomehowsistergotitintoherheaditwasMrPreston,Irecollect。’
’Oneguessisjustaswrongastheother,’saidMolly,smiling,andtryingtolookperfectlyindifferent,butgoingextremelyredfromannoyanceatthementionofMrPreston’sname。Itwasverydifficultforhertokeepupanyconversation,forherheartwasfullofOsborne—hischangedappearance,hismelancholywordsofforeboding,andhisconfidencesabouthiswife—French,Catholic,servant。Mollycouldnothelptryingtopiecethesestrangefactstogetherbyimaginationsofherown,andfounditveryhardworktoattendtokindMissPhoebe’sunceasingpatter。Shecameuptothepoint,however,whenthevoiceceased;andcouldrecall,inamechanicalmanner,theechoofthelastwords,whichfrombothMissPhoebe’slook,andthedyingaccentthatlingeredinMolly’sear,sheperceivedtobeaquestion。MissPhoebewasaskingherifshewouldgooutwithher?ShewasgoingtoGrinstead’s,thebooksellerofHollingford;who,inadditiontohisregularbusiness,wastheagentfortheHollingfordBookSociety,receivedtheirsubscriptions,kepttheiraccounts,orderedtheirbooksfromLondon,and,onpaymentofasmallsalary,allowedtheSocietytokeeptheirvolumesonshelvesinhisshop。Itwasthecentreofnewsandgossip,theclub,asitwere,ofthelittletown。Everybodywhopretendedtogentilityintheplacebelongedtoit,Itwasatestofgentility,indeed,ratherthanofeducationoraloveofliterature。Noshopkeeperwouldhavethoughtofofferinghimselfasamember,howevergreathisgeneralintelligenceandloveofreading;whileitboasteduponthelistofsubscribersmostofthecountyfamiliesintheneighbourhood,someofwhomsubscribedtotheHollingfordBookSocietyasasortofdutybelongingtotheirstation,withoutoftenusingtheirprivilegeofreadingthebooks:whiletherewereresidentsinthelittletown,suchasMrsGoodenough,whoprivatelythoughtreadingagreatwasteoftime,thatmightbemuchbetteremployedinsewing,andknitting,andpastry—making,butwhoneverthelessbelongedtoitasamarkofstation,justasthesegood,motherlywomenwouldhavethoughtitaterriblecome—downintheworldiftheyhadnothadaprettyyoungservant—maidtofetchthemhomefromthetea—partiesatnight。Atanyrate,Grinstead’swasaveryconvenientplaceforalounge。InthatviewoftheBookSocietyeveryoneagreed。MollywentupstairstogetreadytoaccompanyMissPhoebe;andonopeningoneofherdrawersshesawCynthia’senvelope,containingthenotessheowedtoMrPreston,carefullysealeduplikealetter。ThiswaswhatMollyhadsounwillinglypromisedtodeliver—thelastfinalstroketotheaffair。Mollytookitup,hatingit。Foratimeshehadforgottenit;andnowitwashere,facingher,andshemusttryandgetridofit。Sheputitintoherpocketforthechancesofthewalkandtheday,andfortuneforonceseemedtobefriendher;for,ontheirenteringGrinstead’sshop,inwhichtwoorthreepeoplewerenow,asalways,congregated,makingplayofexaminingthebooks,orbusinessofwritingdownthetitlesofnewworksintheorder—book,therewasMrPreston。Hebowedastheycamein。Hecouldnothelpthat;but,atthesightofMolly,helookedasill—temperedandoutofhumourasamanwellcoulddo。Shewasconnectedinhismindwithdefeatandmortification;andbesides,thesightofhercalledupwhathedesirednowaboveallthingstoforget;
namely,thedeepconvictionreceivedthroughMolly’ssimpleearnestness,ofCynthia’sdisliketohim,IfMissPhoebehadseenthescowluponhishandsomeface,shemighthaveundeceivedhersisterinhersuppositionsabouthimandMolly。ButMissPhoebe,whodidnotconsideritquitemaidenlytogoandstandclosetoMrPreston,andsurveytheshelvesofbooksinsuchcloseproximitytoagentleman,foundherselfanerrandattheotherendoftheshop,andoccupiedherselfinbuyingwriting—paper。Mollyfingeredhervaluableletter,asitlayinherpocket;didshedaretocrossovertoMrPreston,andgiveittohim,ornot?Whileshewasstillundecided,shrinkingalwaysjustatthemomentwhenshethoughtshehadgothercourageupforaction,MissPhoebe,havingfinishedherpurchase,turnedround,andafterlookingalittlepatheticallyatMrPreston’sback,saidtoMollyinawhisper,—’Ithinkwe’llgotoJohnson’snow,andcomebackforthebooksinalittlewhile。’SoacrossthestreettoJohnson’stheywent;
butnosoonerhadtheyenteredthedraper’sshop,thanMolly’sconsciencesmoteherforhercowardice,andlossofagoodopportunity。’I’llbebackdirectly,’saidshe,assoonasMissPhoebewasengagedwithherpurchases;
andMollyranacrosstoGrinstead’s,withoutlookingeithertotherightortheleft;shehadbeenwatchingthedoor,andsheknewthatnoMrPrestonhadissuedforth。Sheranin;hewasatthecounternow,talkingtoGrinsteadhimself,Mollyputtheletterintohishand,tohissurprise,andalmostagainsthiswill,andturnedroundtogobacktoMissPhoebe。AtthedooroftheshopstoodMrsGoodenough,arrestedintheactofentering,staring,withherroundeyes,madestillrounderandmoreowl—likebyspectacles,toseeMollyGibsongivingMrPrestonaletter,whichhe,consciousofbeingwatched,andfavouringunderhandpracticeshabitually,putquicklyintohispocket,unopened。Perhaps,ifhehadhadtimeforreflectionhewouldnothavescrupledtoputMollytoopenshame,byrejectingwhatshesoeagerlyforceduponhim。
TherewasanotherlongeveningtobegotthroughwithMrsGibson;butonthisoccasiontherewasthepleasantoccupationofdinner,whichtookupatleastanhour;foritwasoneofMrsGibson’sfancies—onewhichMollychafedagainst—tohaveeveryceremonialgonethroughinthesamestatelymannerfortwoasfortwenty。So,althoughMollyknewfullwell,andherstepmotherknewfullwell,andMariaknewfullwell,thatneitherMrsGibsonnorMollytoucheddessert,itwassetonthetablewithasmuchformasifCynthiahadbeenathome,whodelightedinalmondsandraisins;
orMrGibsonbeenthere,whonevercouldresistdates,althoughhealwaysprotestedagainst’personsintheirstationoflifehavingaformaldessertsetoutbeforethemeveryday。’
AndMrsGibsonherselfapologizedasitweretoMollyto—day,inthesamewordsshehadoftenusedtoMrGibson,—’It’snoextravagance,forweneednoteatit—Ineverdo。Butitlookswell,andmakesMariaunderstandwhatisrequiredinthedailylifeofeveryfamilyofposition。’
AllthroughtheeveningMolly’sthoughtswanderedfarandwide,thoughshemanagedtokeepupashowofattentiontowhatMrsGibsonwassaying。
ShewasthinkingofOsborne,andhisabrupt,half—finishedconfidence,hisill—looks;shewaswonderingwhenRogerwouldcomehome,andlongingforhisreturn,asmuch(shesaidtoherself)forOsborne’ssakeasforherown。Andthenshecheckedherself。WhathadshetodowithRoger?Whyshouldshelongforhisreturn?ItwasCynthiawhowasdoingthis;onlysomehowhewassuchatruefriendtoMolly,thatshecouldnothelpthinkingofhimasastaffandastayinthetroubloustimeswhichappearedtolienotfaraheadthisevening。ThenMrPrestonandherlittleadventurewithhimcameuppermost。Howangryhelooked!HowcouldCynthiahavelikedhimevenenoughtogetintothisabominablescrape,whichwas,however,allovernow!Andsosheranoninherfanciesandimaginations,littledreamingthatthatverynightmuchtalkwasgoingonnothalf—a—milefromwhereshesatesewing,thatwouldprovethatthe’scrape’(asshecalledit,inhergirlishphraseology)wasnotallover。
Scandalsleepsinthesummer,comparativelyspeaking。Itsnatureisthereverseofthatofthedormouse。Warmambientair,loiteringsabroad,gardenings,flowerstotalkabout,andpreservestomake,soothedthewickedimptoslumberintheparishofHollingfordinsummer—time。Butwheneveningsgrewshort,andpeoplegatheredroundthefires,andputtheirfeetinacircle—notonthefenders,thatwasnotallowed—thenwasthetimeforconfidentialconversation!Orinthepausesallowedforthetea—traystocirculateamongthecard—tables—whenthosewhowerepeaceablyinclinedtriedtostopthewarmdiscussionsabout’theoddtrick,’andtheratherwearisomefemininewayof’shoulderingthecrutch,andshowinghowfieldswerewon’—smallcrumbsandscrapsofdailynewscameuptothesurface,suchas’Martindalehasraisedthepriceofhisbestjointsahalfpennyinthepound;’or’it’sashameofSirHarrytoorderinanotherbookonfarrieryintotheBookSociety;PhoebeandItriedtoreadit,butreallythereisnogeneralinterestinit;’or,’IwonderwhatMrAshtonwilldo,nowNancyisgoingtobemarried!Why,shehasbeenwithhimtheseseventeenyears!It’saveryfoolishthingforawomanofheragetobethinkingofmatrimony;andsoItoldher,whenImetherinthemarket—placethismorning!’