On reaching the door, she had heard the voices of my lord and my lady,
and (as Mr. Mountjoy would perhaps be pleased to know) had been too
honourable to listen outside, on this occasion. She had at once gone
away, and had waited until she should be sent for. After a long
interval, the bell that summoned her had been rung. She had found the
mistress in a state of agitation, partly angry, and partly distressed;
and had ventured to ask if anything unpleasant had happened. No reply
was made to that inquiry. Fanny had silently performed the customary
duties of the night-toilet, in getting my lady ready for bed; they had
said good-night to each other and had said no more.
In the morning (that present morning), being again in attendance as
usual, the maid had found Lady Harry in a more indulgent frame of mind;
still troubled by anxieties, but willing to speak of them now.
She had begun by talking of Mr. Mountjoy:
"I think you like him, Fanny: everybody likes him. You will be sorry to
hear that we have no prospect of seeing him again at the cottage."
There she had stopped; something that she had not said, yet, seemed to
be in her mind, and to trouble her. She was near to crying, poor soul,
but struggled against it.
Pages:
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303