r not coming!
"My mother is very anxious that Miss Amedroz should pay her a visit
at Aylmer Park," said the Captain.
"And she's going to Aylmer Park, so your mother's anxiety need not
disturb her any longer."
"Come, Will, don't be out of temper with us," said Clara. "It is our
last night together. We, who are so dear to each other, ought not to
quarrel."
"I'm not quarrelling with you," said he.
"I can hardly suppose that Mr. Belton wants to quarrel with me," said
Captain Aylmer, smiling.
"I'm sure he does not," said Clara. Belton sat silent, with his eyes
fixed upon the table, and with a dark frown upon his brow. He did
long to quarrel with Captain Aylmer; but was still anxious, if it
might be possible, to save himself from what he knew would be a
transgression.
"To use a phrase common with us down in Yorkshire," said Aylmer, "I
should say that Mr. Belton had got out of bed the wrong side this
morning."
"What the d---- does it matter to you, sir, what side I got out of
bed?" said Will, clenching both his fists. Oh;--if he might only have
been allowed to have a round of five minutes with Aylmer, he would
have been restored to good temper for that night, let the subsequent
results have been what they might. He moved his feet impatiently on
the floor, as though he were longing to kick something; and then he
pushed his coffee-cup away from him, upsetting half the contents upon
the table, and knocking down a wine-glass, which was broken.
"Will;--Will!" said Clara, looking at him with imploring eyes.
"Then he shouldn't talk to me about getting out of bed on the wrong
side. I didn't say anything to him."
"It is unkind of you, Will, to quarrel with Captain Aylmer because he
is my friend."
"I don't want to quarrel with him; or, rather, as I won't quarrel
with him because you don't wish it, I'll go away. I can't do more
than that. I didn't want to dine with him here. There's my cousin
Clara, Captain Aylmer; I love her better than all the world besides.
Love her! It seems to me that there's nothing else in the world for
me to love. I'd give my heart for her this minute. All that I have in
the world is hers. Oh,--love her! I don't believe that it's in you
to know what I mean when I say that I love her! She tells me that
she's going to be your wife. You can't suppose that I can be very
comfortable under those circumstances,--or that I can be very fond of
you. I'm not very fond of you. Now I'll go away, a
|