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CHAPTER 38.
TO NOEL’S surprise, the steamer had hardly reached the wharf when he heard his name pronounced; and a packet of letters was placed in his hand by the Royal Mail Company’s agent. Glancing at the covers to see the handwriting, and drawing a happy augury from the absence of any black edges, he thrust them into his pocket, and sent on shore to secure rooms at an hotel for himself and Margaret.
Refusing to abdicate his fraternal protectorate until absolutely obliged to do so, he engaged one sitting-room for himself and his charge, and made Margaret and the little ones dine with him in the evening of their landing. In the mean time he had read his letters; and when he found himself alone with Margaret in the evening, and had exacted what he called ‘just one kiss for having brought her safe so far,’ he added, in a joyous tone, –
And I believe our widowhood need not begin just yet; for my uncle has gone to
‘Why,’ said Margaret, amazed and perplexed, ‘what do you mean to do with me?’
‘See you safe to
‘But your uncle,’ said Margaret, troubled at the unexpected intelligence, yet unable to avoid being amused at Noel’s sudden access of spirits, – ‘is he not very ill, then?’
‘He was very in the spring, but got abroad in time to benefit by change of climate. I am so glad to find he has such cheerful companionship. If good spirits be catching, Sophia will be the best of doctors to him. It does not appear that he has married either of them yet.’
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‘They never thought of my coming; said Margaret. How astonished they will be! I wonder what they will say!’
‘Sophia will be so delighted to have your children about her, that she would welcome you for that, if for nothing else. To use her own terms, she adores and devours babies.’
‘Then if she blames me for leaving James, she will forgive me for their sake. You still think it best to say nothing about James having acted as he has done?’
‘I think I should be governed by circumstances. Most women tell everything to other women as a matter of course. It is something to talk about. But you are not of that sort, and can tell and retain as much as you please. If they are disposed to blame you, say that if they comprehended the circumstances, they would see that you had no choice. And if they – I mean Sophia; for Lady Bevan is never in haste to decide about other people’s conduct, – if Sophia says you ought to have made James come too, you can suggest that she will be a better judge of such matters when she has a husband of her own. Or I will say it for you, if I am present. It seems to me important to avoid saying anything to confirm the idea which my uncle, probably instigated by her, had of James being in an excitable state of mind, and liable to break down under his responsibilities. I think the principal difficulty will be to satisfy Sophia about our coming in the same steamer. With all her vivacity of manner, she has certain conventional notions which are apt to be highly inconvenient and disagreeable at times. And she is not backward in propounding them for the benefit of her friends. No; our best and indeed only way to save all parties from unnecessary discussion, is to treat the whole arrangement as a matter of course, represent that James will follow as soon as he can put affairs in a satisfactory train for going on without him, and that, as I was coming home on account of my uncle’s illness, nothing could be more natural than that he should be glad to send you by a vessel in which there was some one who took an interest in you, and would be likely to be of use; rather than to wait, at much inconvenience, for another, solely in order to send you by yourself.’
‘I wonder,’ said Margaret, ‘where my old nurse, Dame Partridge, is?’
‘Probably in charge of Linnwood.’
‘Then I will write, and ascertain; and if she is in
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me to
‘And do you propose to substitute the old woman for me?’
‘In the capacity of nurse to the children, and lady’s-maid to myself?’ she inquired, affecting to be amused by his evident
dislike to her proposition. ‘Dear Edmund,’ she continued after a moment’s pause,
‘we have others to think of now beside ourselves. You know, alas! but too well,
that it would be the greatest joy that life could have for me, to travel with
you alone to the end of time; but what you have yourself said, shows me that it
is due to James, if not to ourselves, so to contrive the future as to disarm a
not too good-natured world. I do not refuse your escort if I go on to
‘By the way,’ said Noel, ‘did James make the necessary money arrangements? or will you give me the pleasure of doing banker for you? The worst of it is, that if I do, you will be insisting on returning it to me afterwards, as if we were two different people, and not one and indivisible in the far more essential respect of heart and soul.’
‘Depend upon it, if I might spend your money as my own, I would do it freely and
joyfully; but James has authorised his bankers to honour my drafts, so that
there really is no need to trouble you. Do you expect to find much business in
‘
‘But you did not think of remaining in
‘I only thought of remaining near you; and it never occurred to me that you were so – so dreadfully ––’
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‘Dreadfully what?’ she asked, with a bright little laugh.
‘So dreadfully matter-of-fact, and strong, and all that.’
‘Well, dearest friend, if you don’t like me to be strong, you must be strong for me, and I will be weak and helpless. But it will never do for us both to be weak at once, will it?’
‘Ah, darling, you are always right. Well, I suppose I must go to
‘Well, I will lose no time in writing to Nurse, and do you lose no time in going
to
And with a wry face of discontent, Noel submitted to her leaving him.
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