Penny Blood Serial Fiction — page 397: what you’re looking at

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

330 | REYNOLDS’ WORKS as it would please me to see more of you on the present occasion of your visit into Lincolnshire, I cannot, in justice to your own interests and to my friendship for your father, counsel you to prolong your stay.” Mr. Denison and Frank now retraced their way to the drawing-room, where coffee was served up. An hour was then passed in agreeable conversation upon various topics, and soon after ten o’clock the squire’s carriage was an- nounced to be in readiness. Having taken leave of the kind-hearted Denisons, Frank accompanied Mr. Hawkshaw vack to the Hall, and on the following morning he took his departure for London. But he did not separate from the squire without expressing his fervid gratitude for the hospitality he had received, coupled with the assurance that he should write to him with the briefest possible delay. But in the meanwhile, what were Juliana’s thoughts and feelings in respect to Francis Paton? It will be remembered that the last words she had spoken to him on the night of the ball consisted of a hurriedly whispered entreaty that he would meet her in the castle grounds on the ensuing day. Shortly after breakfast one of Mr. Hawkshaw’s servants arrived at the castle, with a note from his master, addressed to the Honourable Miss Farefield. It was couched in affec- tionate terms, and besought her to excuse him from paying his wonted visit that day, as his young guest had claims upon him which, in the true spirit of hospitality, could not be violated. Juliana, on the receipt of this note, foresaw that Frank would not be enabled to keep the appointment she had given him. If the squire remained in constant com- panionship with him, he could not possibly find an oppor- tunity to come such a distance as that between the Hall and the castle. Juliana was profoundly vexed and annoyed at this disappointment, but she nevertheless went to stroll in the gardens at about midday with the faint hope that Frank might yet possibly come to her. The time passed, and still he appeared not. The day went by, and not the slightest attempt was made on his part to obtain an inter- view with her. She thought to herself that on the morrow he would be sure to come, for she argued that Mr. Hawkshaw must surely have some business to attend to, of some kind or another, that would leave Frank his own master for a few hours. Not for an instant did she suspect that anything Eomicbooks