as
not a thing which he would struggle over. It cannot be denied, however,
that he was anxious, and eagerly inspected his letters in the morning,
and looked out for telegrams during the day. Fortunately, however, no
evil tidings came. Mrs. Dennistoun reported unbroken peace in the
Cottage and increasing strength on the part of Elinor; and, in a
parenthesis with a sort of apology, of the baby. Nobody had come near
them to trouble them. Elinor had received no letters. The tie between
her and her husband seemed to be cut as with a knife. "We cannot of
course," she said, "expect this tranquillity to last."

And it came to be a very curious thought with John, as week after week
passed, whether it was to last--whether Phil Compton, who had never been
supposed wanting in courage, intended to let his wife and child drop
off from him as if they had never been. This seemed a thing impossible
to conceive: but John said to himself with much internal contempt that
he knew nothing of the workings of the mind of such a man, and that it
might for aught he knew be a common incident in life with the Phil
Comptons thus to shake off their belongings when they got tired of them.
The fool! the booby! to get tired of Elinor! That rumour which flies
about the world so strangely and communicates information about
everybody to the vacant ear, to be retailed to those whom it may
concern, provided him, as the days went by, with many particulars which
he had not been able to obtain from Elinor. Phil, it appeared, had gone
to Glenorban--the great house to which he had been invited--alone, with
an excuse for his wife, whose state of health was not appropriate to a
large party, and had stayed there spending Christmas with a brilliant
houseful of guests, among whom was the American lady who had captivated
him. Phil had paid one visit to the lodge to see Elinor, by her mother's
summons, at the crisis of her illness, but had not hesitated to go away
again when informed that the crisis was over. Mrs. Dennistoun never told
what had passed between them on that occasion, but the gossips of the
club were credibly informed that she had bullied and stormed at Phil,
after the fashion of mothers-in-law, till she had driven him away. Upon
which he had returned to his party and flirted with Mrs. Harris more
than ever. John discovered also that the party having dispersed some
time ago, Phil had gone abroad. Whether in ignorance of his wife's
flight or not he could n