She scarcely attended to them, but, bounding upstairs to her mother's
room, flung her arms round her neck, and poured into her ear her
precious secret. The tremour, the joy, the fears, the tears, the
throbbings of the heart, and earnest prayers, may well be imagined,
crowded by the mother and daughter into those few minutes. The plan
was quickly arranged. They feared to trust even Deborah; so that the
only way that they could provide the food that Edmund so much needed
was by Rose and Walter attempting to save all they could at supper,
and Rose could steal out when everyone was gone to rest, and carry it
to him. Lady Woodley was bent on herself going to her son that
night; but Rose prevailed on her to lay aside the intention, as it
would have been fatal, in her weak state of health, for her to expose
herself to the chills of an autumn night, and, what was with her a
much more conclusive reason, Rose was much more likely to be able to
slip out unobserved. Rose had an opportunity of explaining all this
to Walter, and imploring him to be cautious, before the colonel and
his son came down, and the whole party assembled round the supper-
table.
Lady Woodley had the eggs and bacon before her; Walter insisted on
undertaking the carving of the pigeon-pie, and looked considerably
affronted when young Sylvester Enderby offered to take the office, as
a more experienced carver.
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