n--that kept the two constantly casting glances over one
another, to assure themselves of the presence before them.
Ethel left them together; and her father, who made out that he should
save time by going to Cocksmoor Church on Sunday morning, reported that
the boys seemed very happy together in their own way; but that Richard
reported himself to have been at the sole expense of conversation in
the evening--the only time such an event could ever have occurred!
Aubrey returned home late on the Sunday evening; and Leonard set off to
walk part of the way with him in the dusk, but ended by coming the
whole distance, for the twilight opened their lips in this renewal of
old habits.
'It is all right to be walking together again,' said Aubrey, warmly;
'though it is not like those spring days.'
'I've thought of them every Sunday.'
'And what are you going to do now, old fellow?'
'I don't know.'
'I hear Bramshaw is going to offer you to come into his office. Now,
don't do that, Leonard, whatever you do!'
'I don't know.'
'You are to have all your property back, you know, and you could do
much better for yourself than that.'
'I can't tell till I have heard from my brother.'
'But, Leonard, promise me now--you'll not go out and make a Yankee of
yourself.'
'I can't tell; I shall do what he wishes.'
Aubrey presently found that Leonard seemed to have no capacity to think
or speak of the future or the past. He set Aubrey off on his own
concerns, and listened with interest, asking questions that showed him
perfectly alive to what regarded his friend, but the passive inaction
of will and spirits still continued, and made him almost a
disappointment.
On Monday morning there was a squabble between the young engineer and
the Daisy, who was a profound believer in the scientific object of
Tom's journey, and greatly resented the far too obvious construction
thereof.
'You must read lots of bad novels at Chatham, Aubrey; it is like the
fag end of the most trumpery of them all!'
'You haven't gone far enough in your mathematics, you see, Daisy. You
think one and one--'
'Make two. So I say.'
'I've gone into the higher branches.'
'I didn't think you were so simple and commonplace. It would be so
stupid to think he must--just because he could not help making this
discovery.'
'All for want of the higher branches of mathematics! One plus
one--equals one.'
'One minus common sense, plus folly, plus ro
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