第69章 THE HONOURABLE LAURA(7)

Not only did Captain Northbrook survive his injuries,but it soon appeared that in the course of a few weeks he would find himself little if any the worse for the catastrophe.It could also be seen that Laura,while secretly hoping for her husband's forgiveness for a piece of folly of which she saw the enormity more clearly every day,was in great doubt as to what her future relations with him would be.Moreover,to add to the complication,whilst she,as a runaway wife,was unforgiven by her husband,she and her husband,as a runaway couple,were unforgiven by her father,who had never once communicated with either of them since his departure from the inn.

But her immediate anxiety was to win the pardon of her husband,who possibly might be bearing in mind,as he lay upon his couch,the familiar words of Brabantio,'She has deceived her father,and may thee.'

Matters went on thus till Captain Northbrook was able to walk about.

He then removed with his wife to quiet apartments on the south coast,and here his recovery was rapid.Walking up the cliffs one day,supporting him by her arm as usual,she said to him,simply,'James,if I go on as I am going now,and always attend to your smallest want,and never think of anything but devotion to you,will you--try to like me a little?'

'It is a thing I must carefully consider,'he said,with the same gloomy dryness which characterized all his words to her now.'When I have considered,I will tell you.'

He did not tell her that evening,though she lingered long at her routine work of making his bedroom comfortable,putting the light so that it would not shine into his eyes,seeing him fall asleep,and then retiring noiselessly to her own chamber.When they met in the morning at breakfast,and she had asked him as usual how he had passed the night,she added timidly,in the silence which followed his reply,'Have you considered?'

'No,I have not considered sufficiently to give you an answer.'

Laura sighed,but to no purpose;and the day wore on with intense heaviness to her,and the customary modicum of strength gained to him.

The next morning she put the same question,and looked up despairingly in his face,as though her whole life hung upon his reply.

'Yes,I have considered,'he said.

'Ah!'

'We must part.'

'O James!'

'I cannot forgive you;no man would.Enough is settled upon you to keep you in comfort,whatever your father may do.I shall sell out,and disappear from this hemisphere.'

'You have absolutely decided?'she asked miserably.'I have nobody now to c-c-care for--'

'I have absolutely decided,'he shortly returned.'We had better part here.You will go back to your father.There is no reason why I should accompany you,since my presence would only stand in the way of the forgiveness he will probably grant you if you appear before him alone.We will say farewell to each other in three days from this time.I have calculated on being ready to go on that day.'

Bowed down with trouble,she withdrew to her room,and the three days were passed by her husband in writing letters and attending to other business-matters,saying hardly a word to her the while.The morning of departure came;but before the horses had been put in to take the severed twain in different directions,out of sight of each other,possibly for ever,the postman arrived with the morning letters.

There was one for the captain;none for her--there were never any for her.However,on this occasion something was enclosed for her in his,which he handed her.She read it and looked up helpless.

'My dear father--is dead!'she said.In a few moments she added,in a whisper,'I must go to the Manor to bury him ...Will you go with me,James?'

He musingly looked out of the window.'I suppose it is an awkward and melancholy undertaking for a woman alone,'he said coldly.

'Well,well--my poor uncle!--Yes,I'll go with you,and see you through the business.'

So they went off together instead of asunder,as planned.It is unnecessary to record the details of the journey,or of the sad week which followed it at her father's house.Lord Quantock's seat was a fine old mansion standing in its own park,and there were plenty of opportunities for husband and wife either to avoid each other,or to get reconciled if they were so minded,which one of them was at least.Captain Northbrook was not present at the reading of the will.She came to him afterward,and found him packing up his papers,intending to start next morning,now that he had seen her through the turmoil occasioned by her father's death.

'He has left me everything that he could!'she said to her husband.

'James,will you forgive me now,and stay?'

'I cannot stay.'

'Why not?'

'I cannot stay,'he repeated.

'But why?'

'I don't like you.'

He acted up to his word.When she came downstairs the next morning she was told that he had gone.

Laura bore her double bereavement as best she could.The vast mansion in which she had hitherto lived,with all its historic contents,had gone to her father's successor in the title;but her own was no unhandsome one.Around lay the undulating park,studded with trees a dozen times her own age;beyond it,the wood;beyond the wood,the farms.All this fair and quiet scene was hers.She nevertheless remained a lonely,repentant,depressed being,who would have given the greater part of everything she possessed to ensure the presence and affection of that husband whose very austerity and phlegm--qualities that had formerly led to the alienation between them--seemed now to be adorable features in his character.