These starts and frights continued till noon; and when the doctor had
arrived and had seen her, and had talked with Mrs. Melbury, he sat down
and meditated. That ever-present terror it was indispensable to remove
from her mind at all hazards; and he thought how this might be done.
Without saying a word to anybody in the house, or to the disquieted
Winterborne waiting in the lane below, Dr. Jones went home and wrote to
Mr. Melbury at the London address he had obtained from his wife. The
gist of his communication was that Mrs. Fitzpiers should be assured as
soon as possible that steps were being taken to sever the bond which
was becoming a torture to her; that she would soon be free, and was
even then virtually so. "If you can say it AT ONCE it may be the means
of averting much harm," he said. "Write to herself; not to me."
On Saturday he drove over to Hintock, and assured her with mysterious
pacifications that in a day or two she might expect to receive some
assuring news. So it turned out. When Sunday morning came there was a
letter for Grace from her father. It arrived at seven o'clock, the
usual time at which the toddling postman passed by Hintock; at eight
Grace awoke, having slept an hour or two for a wonder, and Mrs. Melbury
brought up the letter.
"Can you open it yourself?" said she.
"Oh yes, yes!" said Grace, with feeble impatience. She tore the
envelope, unfolded the sheet, and read; when a creeping blush tinctured
her white neck and cheek.
Her father had exercised a bold discretion. He informed her that she
need have no further concern about Fitzpiers's return; that she would
shortly be a free woman; and therefore, if she should desire to wed her
old lover--which he trusted was the case, since it was his own deep
wish--she would be in a position to do so. In this Melbury had not
written beyond his belief. But he very much stretched the facts in
adding that the legal formalities for dissolving her union were
practically settled. The truth was that on the arrival of the doctor's
letter poor Melbury had been much agitated, and could with difficulty
be prevented by Beaucock from returning to her bedside. What was the
use of his rushing back to Hintock? Beaucock had asked him. The only
thing that could do her any good was a breaking of the bond. Though he
had not as yet had an interview with the eminent solicitor they were
about to consult, he was on the point of seeing him; and the case was
clear enough. Thus the simple Melbury, urged by his parental alarm at
her danger by the representations of his companion, and by the doctor's
letter, had yielded, and sat down to tell her roundly that she was
virtually free.