'And have the dead man left her nothing? Hey? And have he carried his

inheritance into's grave? And will his skeleton lie warm on account o't?

Hee-hee!' said Haymoss.

''Tis all swallered up,' observed Hezzy Biles. 'His goings-on made her

miserable till 'a died, and if I were the woman I'd have my randys now.

He ought to have bequeathed to her our young gent, Mr. St. Cleeve, as

some sort of amends. I'd up and marry en, if I were she; since her

downfall has brought 'em quite near together, and made him as good as she

in rank, as he was afore in bone and breeding.' 'D'ye think she will?' asked Sammy Blore. 'Or is she meaning to enter upon a virgin life for the rest of her days?' 'I don't want to be unreverent to her ladyship; but I really don't think she is meaning any such waste of a Christian carcase. I say she's rather meaning to commit flat matrimony wi' somebody or other, and one young

gentleman in particular.' 'But the young man himself?' 'Planned, cut out, and finished for the delight of 'ooman!' 'Yet he must be willing.' 'That would soon come. If they get up this tower ruling plannards

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together much longer, their plannards will soon rule them together, in my

way o' thinking. If she've a disposition towards the knot, she can soon

teach him.' 'True, true, and lawfully. What before mid ha' been a wrong desire is

now a holy wish!' The scales fell from Swithin St. Cleeve's eyes as he heard the words of

his neighbours. How suddenly the truth dawned upon him; how it

bewildered him, till he scarcely knew where he was; how he recalled the

full force of what he had only half apprehended at earlier times,

particularly of that sweet kiss she had impressed on his lips when she

supposed him dying,--these vivid realizations are difficult to tell in

slow verbiage. He could remain there no longer, and with an electrified

heart he retreated up the spiral.

He found Lady Constantine half way to the top, standing by a loop-hole;

and when she spoke he discovered that she was almost in tears. 'Are they

gone?' she asked.

'I fear they will not go yet,' he replied, with a nervous fluctuation of

manner that had never before appeared in his bearing towards her.

'What shall I do?' she asked. 'I ought not to be here; nobody knows that

I am out of the house. Oh, this is a mistake! I must go home somehow.' 'Did you hear what they were saying?' 'No,' said she. 'What is the matter? Surely you are disturbed? What

did they say?' 'It would be the exaggeration of frankness in me to tell you.' 'Is it what a woman ought not to be made acquainted with?' 'It is, in this case. It is so new and so indescribable an idea to

me--that'--he leant against the concave wall, quite tremulous with

strange incipient sentiments.




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