‘You will come with me to the gate,’ he said to his daughter, after their silent breakfast.

‘Oh yes;—­to say good-bye.’

Then he took his hat, and his gloves, and his umbrella, very slowly, lingering in the hall as he did so, while his wife kept her seat firm and square at the breakfast table.  Hester had her hat and shawl with her; but Mrs. Bolton did not suspect that she would endeavour to escape now without returning for her child.  Therefore she sat firm and square, waiting to hear from Hester herself what her father might bring himself to communicate to her.  ‘Hester,’ he said, as he slowly walked round the sweep in front of the house, ‘Hester,’ he said, ’you would do your duty best to God and man,—­best to John Caldigate and to your child,—­by remaining here.’

‘How can I unless he tells me?’

‘You have your father’s authority.’

’You surrendered it when you gave me to him as his wife.  It is not that
I would rebel against you, papa, but that I must obey him.  Does not St.
Paul say, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the
Lord"?’

’Certainly; and you cannot suppose that in any ordinary case I would interfere between you and him.  It is not that I am anxious to take anything from him that belongs to him.’  Then, as they were approaching the gate, he stood still.  ’But now, in such an emergency as this, when a question has risen as to his power of making you his wife——­’

‘I will not hear of that.  I am his wife.’

’Then it may become my duty and your mother’s to—­to—­to provide you with a home till the law shall have decided.’

‘I cannot leave his home unless he bids me.’

‘I am telling you of my duty—­of my duty and your mother’s.’  Then he passed out through the gate, thus having saved his conscience from the shame of a false farewell; and she slowly made her way back to the house, after standing for a moment to look after him as he went.  She was almost sure now that something was intended.  He would not have spoken in that way of his duty unless he had meant her to suppose that he intended to perform it.  ‘My duty,’ he had said, ‘my duty and your mother’s!’ Of course something was intended, something was to be done or said more than had been done or said already.  During the breakfast she had seen in the curves of her mother’s mouth the signs of some resolute purpose.  During the very prayers she had heard in her mother’s voice a sound as of a settled determination She knew,—­she knew that something was to be done, and with that knowledge she went back into her mother’s room, and sat herself down firmly and squarely at the table.  She had left her cup partly full, and began again to drink her tea.  ’What did your papa say to you?’ asked her mother.

’Papa bade me stay here, but I told him that most certainly I should go home to Folking.’  Then Mrs. Bolton also became aware of fixed will and resolute purpose on her daughter’s part.