And so she went to mother’s heart by the very
nearest road, even as she had come to mine; I mean
the road of pity, smoothed by grace, and youth, and
gentleness.
A CHANGE LONG NEEDED
[Illustration: 389.jpg Marwood Whichehalse]
Jeremy Stickles was gone south, ere ever the frost
set in, for the purpose of mustering forces to attack
the Doone Glen. But, of course, this weather
had put a stop to every kind of movement; for even
if men could have borne the cold, they could scarcely
be brought to face the perils of the snow-drifts.
And to tell the truth I cared not how long this weather
lasted, so long as we had enough to eat, and could
keep ourselves from freezing. Not only that I
did not want Master Stickles back again, to make more
disturbances; but also that the Doones could not come
prowling after Lorna while the snow lay piled between
us, with the surface soft and dry. Of course
they would very soon discover where their lawful queen
was, although the track of sledd and snow-shoes had
been quite obliterated by another shower, before the
revellers could have grown half as drunk as they intended.
But Marwood de Whichehalse, who had been snowed up
among them (as Gwenny said), after helping to strip
the beacon, that young Squire was almost certain to
have recognised me, and to have told the vile Carver.
And it gave me no little pleasure to think how mad
that Carver must be with me, for robbing him of the
lovely bride whom he was starving into matrimony.
However, I was not pleased at all with the prospect
of the consequences; but set all hands on to thresh
the corn, ere the Doones could come and burn the ricks.
For I knew that they could not come yet, inasmuch as
even a forest pony could not traverse the country,
much less the heavy horses needed to carry such men
as they were. And hundreds of the forest ponies
died in this hard weather, some being buried in the
snow, and more of them starved for want of grass.
Going through this state of things, and laying down
the law about it (subject to correction), I very soon
persuaded Lorna that for the present she was safe,
and (which made her still more happy) that she was
not only welcome, but as gladdening to our eyes as
the flowers of May. Of course, so far as regarded
myself, this was not a hundredth part of the real
truth; and even as regarded others, I might have said
it ten times over. For Lorna had so won them
all, by her kind and gentle ways, and her mode of
hearkening to everybody’s trouble, and replying
without words, as well as by her beauty, and simple
grace of all things, that I could almost wish sometimes
the rest would leave her more to me. But mother
could not do enough; and Annie almost worshipped her;
and even Lizzie could not keep her bitterness towards
her; especially when she found that Lorna knew as
much of books as need be.
