s.' That
meant, 'My turning aside to you originally was the blameable thing.' It
might mean, 'My love of you sets my ideas of duty at variance with my
father's.'

She smiled; nothing was uttered in a tone of despondency. Her high
courage and breeding gave her even in this pitfall the smoothness which
most women keep for society. Why she had not sent me any message or
tidings of herself to Riversley was not a matter that she could imagine
to perplex me: she could not imagine my losing faith in her. The least we
could do, I construed it, the religious bond between us was a faith in
one another that should sanctify to our souls the external injuries it
caused us to commit. But she talked in no such strain. Her delight in
treading English ground was her happy theme. She said, 'It is as young as
when we met in the forest'; namely, the feeling revived for England. How
far off we were from the green Devonshire coast, was one of her
questions, suggestive of our old yacht-voyage lying among her dreams.
Excepting an extreme and terrorizing paleness, there was little to fever
me with the thought that she suffered mortally. Of reproach, not a word;
nor of regret. At the first touch of hands, when we stood together,
alone, she said, 'Would hearing of your recovery have given me peace?' My
privileges were the touch of hands, the touch of her fingers to my lips,
a painless hearing and seeing, and passionate recollection. She said,
'Impatience is not for us, Harry': I was not to see her again before the
evening. These were the last words she said, and seemed the lightest
until my hot brain made a harvest of them transcending thrice-told vows
of love. Did they not mean, 'We two wait': therefore, 'The years are
bondmen to our stedfastness.' Could sweeter have been said? They might
mean nothing!

She was veiled when Janet drove her out; Janet sitting upright in her
masterly way, smoothing her pet ponies with the curl of her whip,
chatting and smiling; the princess slightly leaning back. I strode up to
the country roads, proud of our land's beauty under a complacent sky. By
happy chance, which in a generous mood I ascribed to Janet's good nature,
I came across them at a seven miles' distance. They were talking
spiritedly: what was wonderful, they gave not much heed to me: they
seemed on edge for one another's conversation: each face was turned to
the other's, and after nodding an adieu, they resumed the animated
discourse. I had been rat