“If you please, sir, my lady wants to know at
what time you have ordered dinner.”
“At seven, Hannah.”
“My lady says she is very tired, and will lie
down till dinner-time.”
“Very well, Hannah. I will go into her
room when it is time to dress. I hope they are
making you comfortable downstairs?”
Then Crosbie strolled out on the pier in the dusk
of the cold winter evening.
John Eames at His Office
Mr Crosbie and his wife went upon their honeymoon
tour to Folkestone in the middle of February, and
returned to London about the end of March. Nothing
of special moment to the interests of our story occurred
during those six weeks, unless the proceedings of the
young married couple by the sea-side may be thought
to have any special interest. With regard to
those proceedings I can only say that Crosbie was
very glad when they were brought to a close. All
holiday-making is hard work, but holiday-making with
nothing to do is the hardest work of all. At
the end of March they went into their new house, and
we will hope that Lady Alexandrina did not find it
very cold.
During this time Lily’s recovery from her illness
was being completed. She had no relapse, nor
did anything occur to create a new fear on her account.
But, nevertheless, Dr Crofts gave it as his opinion
that it would be inexpedient to move her into a fresh
house at Lady-day. March is not a kindly month
for invalids; and therefore with some regret on the
part of Mrs Dale, with much impatience on that of
Bell, and with considerable outspoken remonstrance
from Lily herself, the squire was requested to let
them remain through the month of April. How the
squire received this request, and in what way he assented
to the doctor’s reasoning, will be told in the
course of a chapter or two.
In the meantime John Eames had continued his career
in London without much immediate satisfaction—to
himself, or to the lady who boasted to be his heart’s
chosen queen. Miss Amelia Roper, indeed, was
becoming very cross, and in her ill-temper was playing
a game that was tending to create a frightful amount
of hot water in Burton Crescent. She was devoting
herself to a flirtation with Mr Cradell, not only
under the immediate eyes of Johnny Eames, but also
under those of Mrs Lupex. John Eames, the blockhead,
did not like it. He was above all things anxious
to get rid of Amelia and her claims; so anxious, that
on certain moody occasions he would threaten himself
with diverse tragical terminations to his career in
London. He would enlist. He would go to
Australia. He would blow out his brains.
He would have “an explanation” with Amelia,
tell her that she was a vixen, and proclaim his hatred.
He would rush down to Allington and throw himself
in despair at Lily’s feet. Amelia, was the
bugbear of his life. Nevertheless, when she flirted
with Cradell, he did not like it, and was ass enough
to speak to Cradell about it.
