首页 >出版文学> The Queen of Hearts>第20章
  "Noneintheworld,love,ifyouapproveofit,"saysthewife。
  AllthiswhilepoorMr。Yatmansatlookingthepictureofastonishmentanddistress,quiteoutofplaceatourpoliteconference。Thebookswerebrought,andoneminute’slookatthepagesinwhichMrs。Yatman’snamefiguredwasenough,andmorethanenough,toprovethetruthofeverywordthatIhadspoken。
  There,inonebook,wasthehusband’saccountwhichMr。Yatmanhadsettled;andthere,intheother,wastheprivateaccount,crossedoffalso,thedateofsettlementbeingtheverydayafterthelossofthecash—box。Thissaidprivateaccountamountedtothesumofahundredandseventy—fivepounds,oddshillings,anditextendedoveraperiodofthreeyears。Notasingleinstallmenthadbeenpaidonit。Underthelastlinewasanentrytothiseffect:"Writtentoforthethirdtime,June23d。"I
  pointedtoit,andaskedthemillinerifthatmeant"lastJune。"
  Yes,itdidmeanlastJune;andshenowdeeplyregrettedtosaythatithadbeenaccompaniedbyathreatoflegalproceedings。
  "Ithoughtyougavegoodcustomersmorethanthreeyears’
  credit?"saysI。
  ThemillinerlooksatMr。Yatman,andwhisperstome,"Notwhenalady’shusbandgetsintodifficulties。"
  Shepointedtotheaccountasshespoke。TheentriesafterthetimewhenMr。Yatman’scircumstancesbecameinvolvedwerejustasextravagant,forapersoninhiswife’ssituation,astheentriesfortheyearbeforethatperiod。Iftheladyhadeconomizedinotherthings,shehadcertainlynoteconomizedinthematterofdress。
  Therewasnothingleftnowbuttoexaminethecash—book,forform’ssake。Themoneyhadbeenpaidinnotes,theamountsandnumbersofwhichexactlytalliedwiththefiguressetdowninmylist。
  Afterthat,IthoughtitbesttogetMr。Yatmanoutofthehouseimmediately。HewasinsuchapitiableconditionthatIcalledacabandaccompaniedhimhomeinit。Atfirsthecriedandravedlikeachild;butIsoonquietedhim;andImustadd,tohiscredit,thathemademeamosthandsomeapologyforhislanguageasthecabdrewupathishousedoor。Inreturn,Itriedtogivehimsomeadviceabouthowtosetmattersrightforthefuturewithhiswife。Hepaidverylittleattentiontome,andwentupstairsmutteringtohimselfaboutaseparation。WhetherMrs。
  Yatmanwillcomecleverlyoutofthescrapeornotseemsdoubtful。Ishouldsaymyselfthatshewouldgointoscreechinghysterics,andsofrightenthepoormanintoforgivingher。Butthisisnobusinessofours。Sofarasweareconcerned,thecaseisnowatanend,andthepresentreportmaycometoaconclusionalongwithit。
  Iremain,accordingly,yourstocommand,THOMASBULMER。
  _P。S_。——Ihavetoaddthat,onleavingRutherfordStreet,ImetMr。MatthewSharpincomingtopackuphisthings。
  "Onlythink!"sayshe,rubbinghishandsingreatspirits,"I’vebeentothegenteelvillaresidence,andthemomentImentionedmybusinesstheykickedmeoutdirectly。Thereweretwowitnessesoftheassault,andit’sworthahundredpoundstomeifit’sworthafarthing。"
  "Iwishyoujoyofyourluck,"saysI。
  "Thankyou,"sayshe。"WhenmayIpayyouthesamecomplimentonfindingthethief?"
  "Wheneveryoulike,"saysI,"forthethiefisfound。"
  "JustwhatIexpected,"sayshe。"I’vedoneallthework,andnowyoucutinandclaimallthecredit——Mr。Jay,ofcourse。"
  "No,"saysI。
  "Whoisitthen?"sayshe。
  "AskMrs。Yatman,"saysI。"She’swaitingtotellyou。"
  "Allright!I’dmuchratherhearitfromthatcharmingwomanthanfromyou,"sayshe,andgoesintothehouseinamightyhurry。
  Whatdoyouthinkofthat,InspectorTheakstone?WouldyouliketostandinMr。Sharpin’sshoes?Ishouldn’t,Icanpromiseyou。
  FROMCHIEFINSPECTORTHEAKSTONETOMR。MATTHEWSHARPIN。
  July12th。
  SIR——SergeantBulmerhasalreadytoldyoutoconsideryourselfsuspendeduntilfurthernotice。IhavenowauthoritytoaddthatyourservicesasamemberoftheDetectivepolicearepositivelydeclined。Youwillpleasetotakethisletterasnotifyingofficiallyyourdismissalfromtheforce。
  Imayinformyou,privately,thatyourrejectionisnotintendedtocastanyreflectionsonyourcharacter。Itmerelyimpliesthatyouarenotquitesharpenoughforourpurposes。Ifwe_are_tohaveanewrecruitamongus,weshouldinfinitelypreferMrs。
  Yatman。
  Yourobedientservant,FRANCISTHEAKSTONE。
  NOTEONTHEPRECEDINGCORRESPONDENCE,ADDEDBYMR。THEAKSTONE。
  Theinspectorisnotinapositiontoappendanyexplanationsofimportancetothelastoftheletters。IthasbeendiscoveredthatMr。MatthewSharpinleftthehouseinRutherfordStreetfiveminutesafterhisinterviewoutsideofitwithSergeantBulmer,hismannerexpressingtheliveliestemotionsofterrorandastonishment,andhisleftcheekdisplayingabrightpatchofred,whichlookedasifitmighthavebeentheresultofwhatispopularlytermedasmartboxontheear。HewasalsoheardbytheshopmanatRutherfordStreettouseaveryshockingexpressioninreferencetoMrs。Yatman,andwasseentoclinchhisfistvindictivelyasheranroundthecornerofthestreet。Nothingmorehasbeenheardofhim;anditisconjecturedthathehasleftLondonwiththeintentionofofferinghisvaluableservicestotheprovincialpolice。
  OntheinterestingdomesticsubjectofMr。andMrs。Yatmanstilllessisknown。Ithas,however,beenpositivelyascertainedthatthemedicalattendantofthefamilywassentforinagreathurryonthedaywhenMr。Yatmanreturnedfromthemilliner’sshop。Theneighboringchemistreceived,soonafterward,aprescriptionofasoothingnaturetomakeupforMrs。Yatman。Thedayafter,Mr。
  Yatmanpurchasedsomesmelling—saltsattheshop,andafterwardappearedatthecirculatinglibrarytoaskforanoveldescriptiveofhighlifethatwouldamuseaninvalidlady。Ithasbeeninferredfromthesecircumstancesthathehasnotthoughtitdesirabletocarryouthisthreatofseparatingfromhiswife,atleastinthepresent(presumed)conditionofthatlady’ssensitivenervoussystem。
  THESEVENTHDAY。
  FINEenoughforourguesttogooutagain。Long,featherylinesofwhitecloudarewavingupwardinthesky,asignofcomingwind。
  TherewasasteamertelegraphedyesterdayfromtheWestIndies。
  Whenthenextvesselisannouncedfromabroad,willitbeGeorge’sship?
  Idon’tknowhowmybrothersfeelto—day,butthesuddencessationofmyownliterarylaborshasleftmestillinbadspirits。Itriedtooccupymymindbyreading,butmyattentionwandered。Iwentoutintothegarden,butitlookeddreary;theautumnflowerswerefewandfarbetween——thelawnwassoakedandsoddenwithyesterday’srain。IwanderedintoOwen’sroom。Hehadreturnedtohispainting,butwasnotworking,asitstruckme,withhiscustomaryassiduityandhiscustomarysenseofenjoyment。
  WehadalongtalktogetheraboutGeorgeandJessieandthefuture。Owenurgedmetoriskspeakingofmysoninherpresenceoncemore,onthechanceofmakingherbetrayherselfonasecondoccasion,andIdeterminedtotakehisadvice。ButshewasinsuchhighspiritswhenshecamehometodinneronthisSeventhDay,andseemedsoincapable,forthetimebeing,ofeitherfeelingorspeakingseriously,thatIthoughtitwisertowaittillhervariablemoodalteredagainwiththenextwetday。
  ThenumberdrawnthiseveningwasEight,beingthenumberofthestorywhichithadcostOwensomuchlabortowrite。Helookedalittleflutteredandanxiousasheopenedthemanuscript。Thiswasthefirstoccasiononwhichhisabilityasanarratorwastobebroughttothetest,andIsawhimglancenervouslyatJessie’sattentiveface。
  "Ineednottroubleyouwithmuchinthewayofpreface,"hesaid。"Thisisthestoryofaveryremarkableeventinthelifeofoneofmybrotherclergymen。HeandIbecameacquaintedthroughbeingassociatedwitheachotherinthemanagementofaMissionarySociety。IsawhimforthelasttimeinLondonwhenhewasabouttoleavehiscountryandhisfriendsforever,andwastheninformedofthecircumstanceswhichhaveaffordedthematerialforthisnarrative。"
  BROTHEROWEN’SSTORY
  ofTHEPARSON’SSCRUPLE。
  CHAPTERI。
  IFyouhadbeeninthefarWestofEnglandaboutthirteenyearssince,andifyouhadhappenedtotakeuponeoftheCornishnewspapersonacertaindayofthemonth,whichneednotbespeciallymentioned,youwouldhaveseenthisnoticeofamarriageatthetopofacolumn:
  Onthethirdinstant,attheparishchurch,theReverendAlfredCarling,RectorofPenliddy,toEmilyHarriet,relictofthelateFergusDuncan,Esq。,ofGlendarn,N。B。
  Therector’smarriagedidnotproduceaveryfavorableimpressioninthetown,solelyinconsequenceoftheunaccountableprivateandunpretendingmannerinwhichtheceremonyhadbeenperformed。
  Themiddle—agedbrideandbridegroomhadwalkedquietlytochurchonemorning,hadbeenmarriedbythecuratebeforeanyonewasawareofit,andhadembarkedimmediatelyafterwardinthesteamerforTenby,wheretheyproposedtopasstheirhoneymoon。
  ThebridebeingastrangeratPenliddy,allinquiriesaboutherprevioushistorywerefruitless,andthetownspeoplehadnoalternativebuttotrusttotheirowninvestigationsforenlightenmentwhentherectorandhiswifecamehometosettleamongtheirfriends。
  Aftersixweeks’absenceMr。andMrs。Carlingreturned,andthesimplestoryoftherector’scourtshipandmarriagewasgatheredtogetherinfragments,byinquisitivefriends,fromhisownlipsandfromthelipsofhiswife。
  Mr。CarlingandMrs。DuncanhadmetatTorquay。Therector,whohadexchangedhousesanddutiesfortheseasonwithabrotherclergymansettledatTorquay,hadcalledonMrs。Duncaninhisclericalcapacity,andhadcomeawayfromtheinterviewdeeplyimpressedandinterestedbythewidow’smannersandconversation。
  Thevisitswererepeated;theacquaintancegrewintofriendship,andthefriendshipintolove——ardent,devotedloveonbothsides。
  Middle—agedmanthoughhewas,thiswasMr。Carling’sfirstattachment,anditwasmetbythesamefreshnessoffeelingonthelady’spart。Herlifewithherfirsthusbandhadnotbeenahappyone。Shehadmadethefatalmistakeofmarryingtopleaseherparentsratherthanherself,andhadrepentediteverafterward。Onherhusband’sdeathhisfamilyhadnotbehavedwelltoher,andshehadpassedherwidowhood,withheronlychild,adaughter,intheretirementofasmallScotchtownmanymilesawayfromthehomeofhermarriedlife。Afteratimethelittlegirl’shealthhadbeguntofail,and,bythedoctor’sadvice,shehadmigratedsouthwardtothemildclimateofTorquay。Thechangehadprovedtobeofnoavail;and,rathermorethanayearsince,thechildhaddied。TheplacewhereherdarlingwasburiedwasasacredplacetoherandsheremainedaresidentatTorquay。Herpositionintheworldwasnowalonelyone。Shewasherselfanonlychild;herfatherandmotherwerebothdead;and,exceptingcousins,heronenearrelationleftalivewasamaternalunclelivinginLondon。
  TheseparticularswereallrelatedsimplyandunaffectedlybeforeMr。Carlingventuredontheconfessionofhisattachment。Whenhemadehisproposalofmarriage,Mrs。Duncanreceiveditwithanexcessofagitationwhichastonishedandalmostalarmedtheinexperiencedclergyman。Assoonasshecouldspeak,shebeggedwithextraordinaryearnestnessandanxietyforaweektoconsiderheranswer,andrequestedMr。Carlingnottovisitheronanyaccountuntiltheweekhadexpired。
  ThenextmorningsheandhermaiddepartedforLondon。Theydidnotreturnuntiltheweekforconsiderationhadexpired。OntheeighthdayMr。Carlingcalledagainandwasaccepted。
  Theproposaltomakethemarriageasprivateaspossiblecamefromthelady。ShehadbeentoLondontoconsultheruncle(whosehealth,sheregrettedtosay,wouldnotallowhimtotraveltoCornwalltogivehisnieceawayatthealtar),andheagreedwithMrs。Duncanthattheweddingcouldnotbetooprivateandunpretending。Ifitwasmadepublic,thefamilyofherfirsthusbandwouldexpectcardstobesenttothem,andarenewalofintercourse,whichwouldbepainfulonbothsides,mightbetheconsequence。OtherfriendsinScotland,again,wouldresenthermarryingasecondtimeatherage,andwoulddistressherandannoyherfuturehusbandinmanyways。Shewasanxioustobreakaltogetherwithherpastexistence,andtobeginanewandhappierlifeuntrammeledbyanyconnectionwithformertimesandtroubles。Sheurgedthesepoints,asshehadreceivedtheofferofmarriage,withanagitationwhichwasalmostpainfultosee。
  Thispeculiarityinherconduct,however,whichmighthaveirritatedsomemen,andrenderedothersdistrustful,hadnounfavorableeffectonMr。Carling。Hesetitdowntoanexcessofsensitivenessanddelicacywhichcharmedhim。Hewashimself——thoughheneverwouldconfessit——ashy,nervousmanbynature。Ostentationofanysortwassomethingwhichheshrankfrominstinctively,eveninthesimplestaffairsofdailylife;
  andhisfuturewife’sproposaltoavoidalltheusualceremonyandpublicityofaweddingwasthereforemorethanagreeabletohim——itwasapositiverelief。
  ThecourtshipwaskeptsecretatTorquay,andthemarriagewascelebratedprivatelyatPenliddy。Itfounditswayintothelocalnewspapersasamatterofcourse,butitwasnot,asusualinsuchcases,alsoadvertisedinthe_Times_。Bothhusbandandwifewereequallyhappyintheenjoymentoftheirnewlife,andequallyunsocialintakingnomeasureswhatevertopublishittoothers。
  Suchwasthestoryoftherector’smarriage。Socially,Mr。
  Carling’spositionwasbutlittleaffectedeitherwaybythechangeinhislife。Asabachelor,hiscircleoffriendshadbeenasmallone,andwhenhemarriedhemadenoattempttoenlargeit。Hehadneverbeenpopularwiththeinhabitantsofhisparishgenerally。Essentiallyaweakman,hewas,likeotherweakmen,onlycapableofassertinghimselfpositivelyinseriousmattersbyrunningintoextremes。Asaconsequenceofthismoraldefect,hepresentedsomesingularanomaliesincharacter。Intheordinaryaffairsoflifehewasthegentlestandmostyieldingofmen,butinallthatrelatedtostrictnessofreligiousprinciplehewasthesternestandthemostaggressiveoffanatics。Inthepulpithewasapreacherofmercilesssermons——aninterpreteroftheBiblebytheletterratherthanbythespirit,aspitilessandgloomyasoneofthePuritansofold;while,ontheotherhand,byhisownfiresidehewasconsiderate,forbearing,andhumblealmosttoafault。Asanecessaryresultofthissingularinconsistencyofcharacter,hewasfeared,andsometimesevendisliked,bythemembersofhiscongregationwhoonlyknewhimastheirpastor,andhewasprizedandlovedbythesmallcircleoffriendswhoalsoknewhimasaman。
  Thosefriendsgatheredroundhimmorecloselyandmoreaffectionatelythaneverafterhismarriage,notonhisownaccountonly,butinfluencedalsobytheattractionsthattheyfoundinthesocietyofhiswife。Herrefinementandgentlenessofmanner;herextraordinaryaccomplishmentsasamusician;herunvaryingsweetnessoftemper,andherquick,winning,womanlyintelligenceinconversation,charmedeveryonewhoapproachedher。Shewasquotedasamodelwifeandwomanbyallherhusband’sfriends,andsheamplydeservedthecharacterthattheygaveher。Althoughnochildrencametocheerit,ahappierandamoreadmirablemarriedlifehasseldombeenwitnessedinthisworldthanthelifewhichwasoncetobeseenintherectoryhouseatPenliddy。
  Withthesenecessaryexplanations,thatpreliminarypartofmynarrativeofwhichtheeventsmaybemassedtogethergenerally,forbrevity’ssake,comestoaclose。WhatIhavenexttotellisofadeeperandamoreseriousinterest,andmustbecarefullyrelatedindetail。
  Therectorandhiswifehadlivedtogetherwithout,asIhonestlybelieve,aharshwordoranunkindlookoncepassingbetweenthemforupwardoftwoyears,whenMr。Carlingtookhisfirststeptowardthefatalfuturethatwasawaitinghimbydevotinghisleisurehourstotheapparentlysimpleandharmlessoccupationofwritingapamphlet。
  HehadbeenconnectedformanyyearswithoneofourgreatMissionarySocieties,andhadtakenasactiveapartasacountryclergymancouldinthemanagementofitsaffairs。AttheperiodofwhichIspeak,certaininfluentialmembersofthesocietyhadproposedaplanforgreatlyextendingthesphereofitsoperations,trustingtoaproportionateincreaseintheannualsubscriptionstodefraytheadditionalexpensesofthenewmovement。Thequestionwasnotnowbroughtforwardforthefirsttime。Ithadbeenagitatedeightyearspreviously,andthesettlementofithadbeenatthattimedeferredtoafutureopportunity。Therevivaloftheproject,asusualinsuchcases,splittheworkingmembersofthesocietyintotwoparties;onepartycautiouslyobjectingtorunanyrisks,theotherhopefullydeclaringthattheventurewasasafeone,andthatsuccesswassuretoattendit。Mr。Carlingsidedenthusiasticallywiththememberswhoespousedthislattersideofthequestion,andtheobjectofhispamphletwastoaddressthesubscriberstothesocietyonthesubject,andsotointeresttheminitastowintheircharitablesupport,onalargerscalethanusual,tothenewproject。
  Hehadworkedhardathispamphlet,andhadgotmorethanhalfwaythroughit,whenhefoundhimselfbroughttoastand—stillforwantofcertainfactswhichhadbeenproducedonthediscussionofthequestioneightyearssince,andwhichwerenecessarytothefullandfairstatementofhiscase。
  Atfirsthethoughtofwritingtothesecretaryofthesocietyforinformation;but,rememberingthathehadnotheldhisofficemorethantwoyears,hehadthoughtitlittlelikelythatthisgentlemanwouldbeabletohelphim,andlookedbacktohisownDiaryoftheperiodtoseeifhehadmadeanynotesinitrelatingtotheoriginaldiscussionoftheaffair。Hefoundanotereferringingeneraltermsonlytothematterinhand,butalludingattheendtoareportinthe_Times_oftheproceedingsofadeputationfromthesocietywhichhadwaitedonamemberofthegovernmentofthatday,andtocertainletterstotheeditorwhichhadfollowedthepublicationofthereport。Thenotedescribedtheselettersas"veryimportant,"andMr。Carlingfelt,asheputhisDiaryawayagain,thatthesuccessfulconclusionofhispamphletnowdependedonhisbeingabletogetaccesstothebacknumbersofthe_Times_ofeightyearssince。
  Itwaswintertimewhenhewasthusstoppedinhiswork,andtheprospectofajourneytoLondon(theonlyplaceheknewofatwhichfilesofthepaperweretobefound)didnotpresentmanyattractions;andyethecouldseenootherandeasiermeansofeffectinghisobject。Afterconsideringforalittlewhileandarrivingatnopositiveconclusion,heleftthestudy,andwentintothedrawing—roomtoconsulthiswife。
  Hefoundherworkingindustriouslybytheblazingfire。Shelookedsohappyandcomfortable——sogentleandcharminginherprettylittlelacecap,andherwarmbrownmorning—dress,withitsbrightcherry—coloredribbons,anditsdelicateswan’sdowntrimmingcirclingroundherneckandnestlingoverherbosom,thathestoopedandkissedherwiththetendernessofhisbridegroomdaysbeforehespoke。Whenhetoldherofthecausethathadsuspendedhisliteraryoccupation,shelistened,withthesensationofthekissstilllingeringinherdowncasteyesandhersmilinglips,untilhecametothesubjectofhisDiaryanditsreferencetothenewspaper。
  Ashementionedthenameofthe_Times_shealteredandlookedhimstraightinthefacegravely。
  "Canyousuggestanyplan,love,"hewenton,"whichmaysavemethenecessityofajourneytoLondonatthisbleaktimeoftheyear?Imustpositivelyhavethisinformation,and,sofarasI
  cansee,LondonistheonlyplaceatwhichIcanhopetomeetwithafileofthe_Times_。"
  "Afileofthe_Times?_"sherepeated。
  "Yes——ofeightyearssince,"hesaid。
  Theinstantthewordspassedhislipshesawherfaceoverspreadbyaghastlypaleness;hereyesfixedonhimwithastrangemixtureofrigidityandvacancyintheirlook;herhands,withherworkheldtightinthem,droppedslowlyonherlap,andashiverranthroughherfromheadtofoot。
  Hesprangtohisfeet,andsnatchedthesmelling—saltsfromherwork—table,thinkingshewasgoingtofaint。Sheputthebottlefromher,whenheofferedit,withahandthatthrilledhimwiththedeadlycoldnessofitstouch,andsaid,inawhisper:
  "Asuddenchill,dear——letmegoupstairsandliedown。"
  Hetookhertoherroom。Ashelaidherdownonthebed,shecaughthishand,andsaid,entreatingly:
  "Youwon’tgotoLondon,darling,andleavemehereill?"
  Hepromisedthatnothingshouldseparatehimfromheruntilshewaswellagain,andthenrandownstairstosendforthedoctor。
  Thedoctorcame,andpronouncedthatMrs。Carlingwasonlysufferingfromanervousattack;thattherewasnottheleastreasontobealarmed;andthat,withpropercare,shewouldbewellagaininafewdays。
  Bothhusbandandwifehadadinnerengagementinthetownforthatevening。Mr。Carlingproposedtowriteanapologyandtoremainwithhiswife。Butshewouldnothearofhisabandoningthepartyonheraccount。Thedoctoralsorecommendedthathispatientshouldbelefttohermaid’scare,tofallasleepundertheinfluenceofthequietingmedicinewhichhemeanttogiveher。Yieldingtothisadvice,Mr。Carlingdidhisbesttosuppresshisownanxieties,andwenttothedinner—party。
  CHAPTERII。
  AMONGtheguestswhomtherectormetwasagentlemannamedRambert,asinglemanoflargefortune,wellknownintheneighborhoodofPenliddyastheownerofanoblecountry—seatandthepossessorofamagnificentlibrary。
  Mr。Rambert(withwhomMr。Carlingwaswellacquainted)greetedhimatthedinner—partywithfriendlyexpressionsofregretatthetimethathadelapsedsincetheyhadlastseeneachother,andmentionedthathehadrecentlybeenaddingtohiscollectionofbookssomerareoldvolumesoftheology,whichhethoughttherectormightfinditusefultolookover。Mr。Carling,withthenecessityoffinishinghispamphletuppermostinhismind,replied,jestingly,thatthespeciesofliteraturewhichhewasjustthenmostinterestedinexamininghappenedtobepreciselyofthesortwhich(exceptingnovels,perhaps)hadleastaffinitytotheologicalwriting。Thenecessaryexplanationfollowedthisavowalasamatterofcourse,and,toMr。Carling’sgreatdelight,hisfriendturnedonhimgaylywiththemostsurprisingandsatisfactoryofanswers:
  "Youdon’tknowhalftheresourcesofmymilesofbookshelves,"
  hesaid,"oryouwouldneverhavethoughtofgoingtoLondonforwhatyoucangetfromme。Awholesideofoneofmyroomsupstairsisdevotedtoperiodicalliterature。Ihavereviews,magazines,andthreeweeklynewspapers,bound,ineachcase,fromthefirstnumber;and,whatisjustnowmoretoyourpurpose,I
  havethe_Times_forthelastfifteenyearsinhugehalf—yearlyvolumes。Givemethedateto—night,andyoushallhavethevolumeyouwantbytwoo’clockto—morrowafternoon。"
  Thenecessaryinformationwasgivenatonce,and,withagreatsenseofrelief,sofarashisliteraryanxietieswereconcerned,Mr。Carlingwenthomeearlytoseewhatthequietingmedicinehaddoneforhiswife。
  Shehaddozedalittle,buthadnotslept。However,shewasevidentlybetter,forshewasabletotakeaninterestinthesayingsanddoingsatthedinner—party,andquestionedherhusbandabouttheguestsandtheconversationwithallawoman’scuriosityabouttheminutestmatters。Shelaywithherfaceturnedtowardhimandhereyesmeetinghis,untilthecourseofherinquiriesdrewananswerfromhim,whichinformedherofhisfortunatediscoveryinrelationtoMr。Rambert’slibrary,andoftheprospectitaffordedofhisresuminghislaborsthenextday。
  Whenhementionedthiscircumstance,shesuddenlyturnedherheadonthepillowsothatherfacewashiddenfromhim,andhecouldseethroughthecounterpanethattheshivering,whichhehadobservedwhenherillnesshadseizedherinthemorning,hadreturnedagain。