We dined with the Fordyces at their hotel, and sat
in the twilight with the windows open, and we made
Anne and Clarence sing, as both could do without
notes, but he would not undertake to remember anything
with an atom of sentiment in it, and when Anne did
sing, ‘Auld lang syne,’ with all her
heart, he went and got into a dark corner, and barely
said, ‘Thank you.’
Not a definite answer could be extracted from him
in reply to all the warm invitations to Beachharbour
that were lavished on us by the father, while the
daughter expatiated on its charms; the rocks I might
sketch, the waves and the delicious boating, and above
all the fisher children and the church. Nothing
was wanting but to have us all there! Why had
we not brought Mrs. Winslow, and Emily, and Martyn,
instead of going to Dawlish?
Good creatures, they little knew the chill that had
been cast upon Martyn. They even bemoaned the
having seen so little of him. And we knew all
the time that they were mice at play in the absence
of their excellent and cautious cat.
‘Now mind you do come!’ said Anne, as
we were in the act of taking leave. ’It
would be as good as Hillside to have you by my Lion
rock. He has a nose just like old Chapman’s,
and you must sketch it before it crumbles off.
Yes, and I want to show you all the dear old things
you made for my baby-house after the fire, your dear
little wardrobe and all.’
She was coming out with us, oblivious that a London
hotel was not like her own free sea-side house.
Her father was out at the carriage door, prepared
to help me in, Clarence halted a moment —
‘Please, pray, go back, Anne,’ he said,
and his voice trembled. ‘This is not
home you know.’
She started back, but paused. ‘You’ll
not forget.’
‘Oh no; no fear of my forgetting.’
And when seated beside me, he leant back with a sigh.
‘How could you help?’ I said.
’How? Why the perfect, innocent, childish,
unconsciousness of the thing,’ he said, and
became silent except for one murmur on the way.
‘Consequences must be borne—’
’With thee, my bark, I’ll swiftly go
Athwart the foaming brine.’
Lord Byron.
Clarence would not tell me his purpose, he said, till
he had considered it more fully; nor could we have
much conversation on the way home, as my mother had
arranged that we should bring an old friend of hers
back with us to pay her a visit. So I had to
sit inside and make myself agreeable to Mrs. Wrightson,
while Clarence had plenty of leisure for meditation
outside on the box seat. The good lady said
much on the desirableness of marriage for Clarence,
and the comfort it would be to my mother to see Emily
settled.
We had heard much in town of railway shares; and the
fortunes of Hudson, the railway king, were under
discussion. I suspected Clarence of cogitating
the using his capital in this manner; and hoped that
when he saw his way, he might not think it dishonourable
to come into further contact with Anne, and reveal
his hopes. He allowed that he was considering
of such investments, but would not say any more.
