The Soldier's Wife — page 211: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

i%0 she not todo her utmost to banish his image|that it was no intrusior, and inviting him to be seated : but suddenly feeling that she ought not — from her mind? Yes: her maidenly pride as well as her exquisite feminine delicacy told her that she ought. For the sake of her happiness, too, she felt that it was a duty she owed unto herself. But, ah! it was so easy to talk or to think of banishing that image—and so difficult to accomplish the aim! And her happiness, too—was not that already gone? was it not wrecked ? how could it be restored ¢ In this deep and painful reverie did the beauteous Adela Clive remain wrapped up for a considerable time—she knew not how long— after the old housekeeper had left the room. Perhaps nearly half-an-hour had thus elapsed, when the door opened again. Adela searcely noticed it, or if she did, she thought it was Mrs, Browning returning She did not raise her eves: she did not even endeavor to arouse herself from that desponding reverie. Footsteps were advancing slowly towards her; and then a voice spoke, But, heavens! that voice—it was not the housekeeper’s Oh, no! it was one which but a few moments back she thought she should never hear again ! “Lady Adela, pardon this intrusion,’ were the words spoken by that voice: and she could scarcely suppress a shriek of surprise or a cry of joy, as suddenly looking up, she beheld Re- ginald Herbert standing before her. He was a fine, tall, handsome man of about six-and-twenty : his nobly-formed countenance beamed with intelligence—and the loftiest feel- ings were stamped upon the high and open forehead. He beheld that sudden start which Adela gave—he saw that his presence had sent a thrill of joy through her entire frame—sus- pense and fear were all in a moment banished from his heart—he knew that he was beloved as fondly and as faithfully as he Iimself had never ceased to love. But as no verbal avowal had ever taken place between them—as his lip had never even so much as touched her cheek— and naught but the gentle pressure of the hand, the looks that met and lingered in blending ten- derness, and the sigh that was half subdued, had alone been the indications of the passion that was mutually felt, when upwards of three years back he was a guest at Clive Hall,—he did not feel himself as yet in the condition of an ac- cepted suitor; although his heart was now daueing with the hope that ere many minutes elapsed he would be so. “Lady Adela,” he again said, “pardon this intrusion :’—and he took her hand. He felt that it trembled in his own; while the tell-tale blush upon the cheeks, the downeast looks, and the visible tremor which agitated her, were further indications, if any were wanting, of dhe happiness which his presence had suddenly in- fused into her soul. “If I have done wrong by intruding here,” he continued, “ you must blame your worthy housekeeper, and not me—for it was she who bade me come hither. Indeed, ghe brought me up to the very door; and and—if she did not accompany me across the threshold,” added Herbert, “it was, 1 suppose, because she fancied | had something particular to bay.” Adela murmured a few words, assuring him rr 7 = * - oI ee ie a. ee ee... SL aR ee 1HE SOLDIER'S WIFE, to display this embarrassment and confusion, she regained a certain degree of composure by dint of a strong effort, and said, “ Will you not repair to the drawing-room, where we shall no ~ doubt find my mother ?” “Will you permit me, Lady Adela,” he ask- ed, “to remain here with you for a few min- utes? On my arrival I of course inquired for the Countess in the first instance, and was in- formed that her ladyship would join me in the drawing-room ina quarter of an hour. Then pardon me if [I displayed so much anxiety to see you——I inquired for you. The house. keeper was ascending the stairs at the moment She took me under her charge, as I have al- | ready explained, and introduced me _ hither Tell me then, Lady Adela, may I remain here a few minutes with you?” There was an unmistakable tenderness in his looks as he thus addressed her, and that sort of delicate and refined familiarity in his tone, which showed that he felt he was not altowether an unwelcome intruder. It was a tone, too, in which a joyous hopefulness was breathed in the accents, It was the tone of love, Lady Adela felt her heart too full of emotions to al- luw her to give utterance to a single word. All her confusion returned ; a delicious and pleas- urable confusion, which was displayed in the roses that blushed upon her damask cheeks— in the bashful down-casting of the looks—and in the trembling of the hands as she mechani- cally took up her work again. She sat down: Reginald Herbert took the housekeeper’s unoe cupied chair which stood near; and bending forward, he continued to address her ip those accents which had already wafted a tale of love to her ears by its very tones, though not as yet in the words it had uttered. * Lady Adela,” he said, “I hope that I shall not be deemed presumptuous In expressing my belief that I amsnot althgether an object of indifference to you; and equally sanguine is my hope that you will not be offended if I declare that for upwards of three years your image has never been absent from my mind.” He paused for a reply : but she gave none, She went on working ; she plied her needle with a marvellous assiduity : one might have thought that she really had a certain task to perform in a given amount of time. But, ah! the tell- tale blush was deepening upon those damask cheeks as she bent over her work; her hand trembled; the very fluttering of her heart was plainly audible. Never was confusion more exquisitely delicious for a lover to behold: never was it In itself more eloguent in recipros cating an avowal of affection. “O Adela!” said Mr, Herbert, in playful ten- derness, “do not devote to that invidious work the attention which I seek to monopolize alto- vether for myself. What! you will not put it down # you persist in plying that odious needle —although 1 have come so many long miles to throw inyself at your feet. It is cruel of you, Adela—dear Adela—too cruel !"--and he raised his finger in the same mood of playful) tenderness that he had been adupting: for bis Gomicbooks (E(e)