Black_A_Daughter_of_Heth.txt topic ['13', '324', '378', '393']
was anxious to see his daughter-in-
law ; and the , while she stayed there, would take
occasional runs down. was staying at the
.
" cannot get her to go out as she used to do," said
the , the first time the got down from
. " seems better pleased to sit at the window
by herself and look over the moor, and tells me
she is in very low spirits, and does look not particularly
well. is a pity she dislikes going out ; it is with
difficulty can get her even into the garden, and once
or twice she has shown a great repugnance to going
anywhere near , so you must not propose to
_ro in that direction in asking her to accompany you."
the said, looking down, " know
she is not aware of having been drowned,
.
36.
and she may be afraid of meeting him. we
tell her of what happened to the yacht ?"
44 am of opinion it would be most advisable," said
the .
got to go out and sit in the
garden ; and there, while they were by themselves, he
gently told her of the loss of the . girl
did not speak nor stir, only she was very pale, and he
noticed that her hand was tightly clenched on the arm
of the wooden seat. and by she rose and said,
" should like to walk down to , if you will
come."
" !" said her husband. " are not
strong enough to walk all that way and back, ."
" well," she said, submissively.
" if you very much want to go, we could drive,
you know," said he.
" , should like to go,'' she said.
the , late as it was in the afternoon, got
out the dogcart, and drove her away to the old-fashioned
little seaport town which they had together visited in
bygone years. put the horse up at the very inn
that he and had visited, and then he asked
her if she wished to go for a stroll through the place.
slightest wish was a command to him. went
out together, and insensibly she led him down to the
long bay of brown sand on which a heavy sea was now
breaking. had spoken but little ; her eyes were
wistful and absent, and she seemed to be listening to
the sound of the waves.
" blows too roughly here, ," said he.
" won't go down on the beach ? "
" ," she said. " can see more, and hear
more."
a considerable time she stood and looked far
over the heaving plain of water, which was a dark green
color under the cloudy evening sky. then she
shuddered slightly, and turned to go away.
" are not vexed with me for coming ? " she
said, " you know why did come."
36: 11ETH.
' am not vexed with anything you do, ,'*
said he ; " and hope the drive will do you good."
" is his grave," she said, looking once more over
the stormy plain of waves. " is a terrible grave, for
there are voices in it, and cries, like drowning people,
and yet one man out there would go do;vn and down,
and you would hear no voice. am afraid of the sea."
" ," said he, " why do you tremble so ?
must come away directly, or you will catch cold ; the
wind blows so fiercely here."
on their \vay back to this trembling had
increased to violent fits of shuddering ; and then, all at
once, said faintly,
lt do feel that should wish to be still and go to sleep.
you put me down by the roadside, and leave me
there awhile, and you can go on to ?"
" , do you know what you are saying, ?
on to , and leave you here ? "
did not answer him ; and he urged on the pony
with all speed, until at length they reached the .
" ," she said, " think you must carry me in."
lifted her down from the vehicle, and carried
her like a child into the house ; and then, when
came with a light, he uttered a slight cry in finding
that was insensible. presently life re-
turned to her, and a quick and flushed color sprang to
her face. was rapidly got to bed, and the ,
who had a vivid recollection of that feverish attack
which she had suffered in the , proposed that a
doctor from should be sent for.
" will telegraph to . ," said the
, scarcely knowing what he said, only possessed
by some wild notion that he would form a league to
drive off this subtle enemy that had approached
that followed that memorable evening was a
dream to him. knew, because he was told, and be-
cause he himself could see, that the fever was laying
deeper and deeper hold on a system which was danger-
ously weak. after day he went about the house,
and as got worse he scarcely realized it.
. 363
was more to him as if a weight out of the sky were
crushing down the world, and as if all things were slow-
ly sinking into darkness. was not excited nor wild
with grief ; but he sat and watched 's eyes,
and seemed not to know the people who came into the
room or whom he met on the stairs.
girl, in her delirium, had violent paroxysms of
terror and shuddering, in which she seemed to see a
storm rising around her and waves threatening to over-
whelm her, and then no one could soothe like her hus-
band. mere presence seemed enough, for the old
instinct of obedience still remained with her, and she
became submissively quiet and silent in answer to his
gentle entreaties.
" are very good to me," she said to him, one
evening, recognizing him, although the delirium had not
left her, " and cannot thank you for it, but my mam-
ma will do that when you come up to our house.
shall not stop in this country always ? when mamma
is waiting for me in the garden, just over the ,
you know. she has not seen you, but will take
you up to her, and say you have been very, very kind to
me. wish they would take us there soon, for am
tired, and do think this country is very dark, and the
sea is so dreadful round about it. goes round about
it like a snake, that hisses and raises its fierce head, and
it has a white crest on its head, and eyes of fire, and you
see them glaring in the night-time. one can get
away from it, and hide close and quiet in the church-
yard on the moor ; and when you come in, , by the
small gate, you must listen, and whisper ' ,'
you know, just as you used to do when lay on the sofa,
and you wished to see if were awake ; and if cannot
speak to you, it will be very hard, but shall know you
have brought me some flowers. you will say to
yourself, ' poor would thank me if she
could.' '
laid his hand on her white fingers. could
not speak.
and by the delirium left and the fever abated,
364 -
but the frail system had been shattered, and all around
saw that she was slowly sinking. night she beck-
oned her husband to come nearer, and he went to her,
and took her thin hand in his.
" going to die, ? " she asked, in a scarcely
audible voice ; and when, in reply, he only looked at
her sad eyes, she said, " am not sorry. will be bet-
ter for you and for us all. will forgive me for all
that happened at when you think of me in after-
times, and you will not blame me because could not
make your life more happy to you ; it was all a misfor-
tune, my coming to this country "
" , !" he said, beside himself with
grief, " if you are going to die, will go 'with you too ;
see, will hold your hand, and when the gates are open
will not let you go, will go with you, ! "
half an hour afterwards the gates were
opened, and she so quietly and silently passed through
that he only of all in the room knew that had
gone away from them and bidden a last farewell to -
lie. were startled to see him fling his arms in
the air, and then as he sank back into his chair a low
cry broke from his lips, " near, so near and can-
not go with her too ! "
day, in the early springtime, you might have
seen a man in the prime of youth and strength, yet with
a strangely grave and worn look on his face, enter the
small churchyard on moor. walked gently
on, as if fearing to disturb the silence of the place, and
at last he stood by the side of a grave on which were
many spring flowers ; snowdrops and violets and white
crocuses. , too, had some flowers in his hand, and
he put them at the foot of the grave ; and there were
tears running down his face.
" are for my ," he said ; " but she
cannot hear me any more."
a little while he lingered by the grave, and then
he turned. , lo ! all around him was the fair and
shining country that she had often looked on, and far
away before him lay the sea, as blue and as still as on
. 365
the morning that he and were married.
bright and beautiful was the world that thus lay undei
the clear sunshine, with all its thousand activities busily
working, and its men and women joyously thinking of
to-morrow, as if to-morrow were to be better than to-
day. him all the light and joy of the world seemed
to be buried in the little grave beside him ; and that
there was no to-morrow that could bring him back the
delight of the days that were. walked to the little
gate of the churchyard, and leaning on it, looked wist-
fully over the great blue plain in which the mountains
of were mirrored.
" have they taken away from us the old
dreams ? " he said to himself, while his eyes were wet
with bitter tears. " one could only believe, as in the
old time, tha^ was a fair and happy island lying
far out in that western sea, how gladly would go away
in a boat, and try to find my ! to think
that some day might see the land before me, and -
quette coming down to the shore, with her face grown
wonderful and calm, and her dark eyes full of joy and
of welcome. to believe that, only to look forward
to that, would be enough ; and if in the night-time a
storm came, and was sunk in the darkness, what mat-
ter, if had been hoping to the last that should se
my ? "