o told me that Miss Berners when she went away had charged her to
keep up the fire, and have a kettle boiling against my arrival. Startled
at these words, I inquired at what hour Isopel had left, and whither she
was gone, and was told that she had left the dingle, with her cart, about
two hours after I departed; but where she was gone she (the girl) did not
know. I then asked whether she had left no message, and the girl replied
that she had left none, but had merely given directions about the kettle
and fire, putting, at the same time, sixpence into her hand. 'Very
strange,' thought I; then dismissing the gypsy girl I sat down by the
fire. I had no wish for tea, but sat looking on the embers, wondering
what could be the motive of the sudden departure of Isopel. 'Does she
mean to return?' thought I to myself. 'Surely she means to return,' Hope
replied, 'or she would not have gone away without leaving any
message'--'and yet she could scarcely mean to return,' muttered
Foreboding, 'or she would assuredly have left some message with the
girl.' I then thought to myself what a hard thing it would be, if, after
having made up my mind to assume the yoke of matrimony, I should be
disappointed of the woman of my choice. 'Well, after all,' thought I, 'I
can scarcely be disappointed; if such an ugly scoundrel as Sylvester had
no difficulty in getting such a nice wife as Ursula, surely I, who am not
a tenth part so ugly, cannot fail to obtain the hand of Isopel Berners,
uncommonly fine damsel though she be. Husbands do not grow upon
hedge-rows; she is merely gone after a little business and will return
to-morrow.'

Comforted in some degree by these hopeful imaginings, I retired to my
tent, and went to sleep.

CHAPTER XVI

GLOOMY FOREBODINGS--THE POSTMAN'S MOTHER--THE LETTER--BEARS AND
BARONS--THE BEST OF ADVICE

Nothing occurred to me of any particular moment during the following day.
Isopel Berners did not return; but Mr. Petulengro and his companions came
home from the fair early in the morning. When I saw him, which was about
mid-day, I found him with his face bruised and swelled. It appeared that
some time after I had left him, he himself perceived that the jockeys
with whom he was playing cards were cheating him and his companion, a
quarrel ensued, which terminated in a fight between Mr. Petulengro and
one of the jockeys, which lasted some time, and in which Mr. Petulengro,
though he eventually came off