'And down the sunny beach she paces slowly,

With many doubtful pauses by the way;

Grief hath an influence so hush'd and holy.'

HOOD.

'Is not Margaret the heiress?' whispered Edith to her husband, as

they were in their room alone at night after the sad journey to

Oxford. She had pulled his tall head down, and stood upon tiptoe,

and implored him not to be shocked, before she had ventured to

ask this question. Captain Lennox was, however, quite in the

dark; if he had ever heard, he had forgotten; it could not be

much that a Fellow of a small college had to leave; but he had

never wanted her to pay for her board; and two hundred and fifty

pounds a year was something ridiculous, considering that she did

not take wine. Edith came down upon her feet a little bit sadder;

with a romance blown to pieces.

A week afterwards, she came prancing towards her husband, and

made him a low curtsey:

'I am right, and you are wrong, most noble Captain. Margaret has

had a lawyer's letter, and she is residuary legatee--the legacies

being about two thousand pounds, and the remainder about forty

thousand, at the present value of property in Milton.' 'Indeed! and how does she take her good fortune?' 'Oh, it seems she knew she was to have it all along; only she had

no idea it was so much. She looks very white and pale, and says

she's afraid of it; but that's nonsense, you know, and will soon

go off. I left mamma pouring congratulations down her throat, and

stole away to tell you.' It seemed to be supposed, by general consent, that the most

natural thing was to consider Mr. Lennox henceforward as

Margaret's legal adviser. She was so entirely ignorant of all

forms of business that in nearly everything she had to refer to

him. He chose out her attorney; he came to her with papers to be

signed. He was never so happy as when teaching her of what all

these mysteries of the law were the signs and types.

'Henry,' said Edith, one day, archly; 'do you know what I hope

and expect all these long conversations with Margaret will end

in?' 'No, I don't,' said he, reddening. 'And I desire you not to tell

me.' 'Oh, very well; then I need not tell Sholto not to ask Mr.

Montagu so often to the house.' 'Just as you choose,' said he with forced coolness. 'What you are

thinking of, may or may not happen; but this time, before I

commit myself, I will see my ground clear. Ask whom you choose.

It may not be very civil, Edith, but if you meddle in it you will

mar it. She has been very farouche with me for a long time; and

is only just beginning to thaw a little from her Zenobia ways.

She has the making of a Cleopatra in her, if only she were a

little more pagan.' 'For my part,' said Edith, a little maliciously, 'I am very glad

she is a Christian. I know so very few!' There was no Spain for Margaret that autumn; although to the last

she hoped that some fortunate occasion would call Frederick to

Paris, whither she could easily have met with a convoy. Instead

of Cadiz, she had to content herself with Cromer. To that place

her aunt Shaw and the Lennoxes were bound. They had all along

wished her to accompany them, and, consequently, with their

characters, they made but lazy efforts to forward her own

separate wish. Perhaps Cromer was, in one sense of the

expression, the best for her. She needed bodily strengthening and

bracing as well as rest.




readonlinefreebook.com Copyright 2016 - 2024