He knew how to dress up the commonest occurrence with a
little exaggeration, a few puns, and a happy quotation or two, so
as to make it sound very agreeable. He could read faces, and saw
that he had been missed; both host and visitor looked moped to
death. He determined to devote himself to their amusement during
the remainder of the day, for he had really lost himself, and
felt that he had been away too long on a dull Sunday, when people
were apt to get hipped if not well amused.
"It is really a shame to be indoors in such a place. Rain? Yes,
it rained some hours ago, but now it is splendid weather. I feel
myself quite qualified for guide, I assure you. I can show you
all the beauties of the neighbourhood, and throw in a bog and a
nest of vipers to boot."
Mr. Donne languidly assented to this proposal of going out; and
then he became restless until Mr. Hickson had eaten a hasty
lunch, for he hoped to meet Ruth on the way from church, to be
near her, and watch her, though he might not be able to speak to
her. To have the slow hours roll away--to know he must leave the
next day--and yet, so close to her, not to be seeing her--was
more than he could bear. In an impetuous kind of way, he
disregarded all Mr. Hickson's offers of guidance to lovely views,
and turned a deaf ear to Mr. Bradshaw's expressed wish of showing
him the land belonging to the house ("very little for fourteen
thousand pounds"), and set off wilfully on the road leading to
the church, from which he averred he had seen a view which
nothing else about the place could equal.
Pages:
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388