James,[111] whose object in going was
to be the means of bringing back the earliest
intelligence to Mr. and Mrs. Harwood, whose
anxious sufferings, particularly those of the
latter, have of course been dreadful. They went
down on Tuesday, and James came back the next day,
bringing such favourable accounts as greatly to
lessen the distress of the family at Deane, though
it will probably be a long while before Mrs.
Harwood can be quite at ease. _One_ most material
comfort, however, they have: the assurance of its
being really an accidental wound, which is not
only positively declared by Earle himself, but is
likewise testified by the particular direction of
the bullet. Such a wound could not have been
received in a duel. At present he is going on very
well, but the surgeon will not declare him to be
in no danger. . . . James had not time at Gosport to
take any other steps towards seeing Charles, than
the very few which conducted him to the door of
the assembly room in the Inn, where there happened
to be a Ball on the night of their arrival; a
likely spot enough for the discovery of a Charles:
but I am glad to say that he was not of the party,
for it was in general a very ungenteel one, and
there was hardly a pretty girl in the room.

* * * * *

Yesterday was a day of great business with me;
Mary drove me all in the rain to Basingstoke, and
still more all in the rain back again, because it
rained harder; and soon after our return to Deane
a sudden invitation and an own postchaise took us
to Ashe Park to dine _tete-a-tete_ with Mr.
Holder, Mr. Gauntlet, and James Digweed; but our
_tete-a-tete_ was cruelly reduced by the
non-attendance of the two latter. We had a very
quiet evening. I believe Mary found it dull, but I
thought it very pleasant. To sit in idleness over
a good fire in a well-proportioned room is a
luxurious sensation. Sometimes we talked, and
sometimes we were quite silent; I said two or
three amusing things, and Mr. Holder made a few
infamous puns.

* *