"Have they gone to their new
home?"
"I don't know. I have had no news from Mistover since Thomasin left
to go."
"You did not go with her?" said she, as if there might be good reasons
why.
"I could not," said Wildeve, reddening slightly. "We could not both
leave the house; it was rather a busy morning, on account of Anglebury
Great Market. I believe you have something to give to Thomasin? If
you like, I will take it."
Mrs. Yeobright hesitated, and wondered if Wildeve knew what the
something was. "Did she tell you of this?" she inquired.
"Not particularly. She casually dropped a remark about having
arranged to fetch some article or other."
"It is hardly necessary to send it. She can have it whenever she
chooses to come."
"That won't be yet. In the present state of her health she must not
go on walking so much as she has done." He added, with a faint twang
of sarcasm, "What wonderful thing is it that I cannot be trusted to
take?"
"Nothing worth troubling you with."
"One would think you doubted my honesty," he said, with a laugh,
though his colour rose in a quick resentfulness frequent with him.
"You need think no such thing," said she drily. "It is simply that
I, in common with the rest of the world, feel that there are certain
things which had better be done by certain people than by others."
"As you like, as you like," said Wildeve laconically. "It is not
worth arguing about. Well, I think I must turn homeward again, as the
inn must not be left long in charge of the lad and the maid only."
He went his way, his farewell being scarcely so courteous as his
greeting. But Mrs. Yeobright knew him thoroughly by this time, and
took little notice of his manner, good or bad.
When Wildeve was gone Mrs. Yeobright stood and considered what would
be the best course to adopt with regard to the guineas, which she had
not liked to entrust to Wildeve. It was hardly credible that Thomasin
had told him to ask for them, when the necessity for them had arisen
from the difficulty of obtaining money at his hands. At the same time
Thomasin really wanted them, and might be unable to come to Blooms-End
for another week at least. To take or send the money to her at the
inn would be impolite, since Wildeve would pretty surely be present,
or would discover the transaction; and if, as her aunt suspected, he
treated her less kindly than she deserved to be treated, he might then
get the whole sum out of her gentle hands. B
|