t know at all what
he feared. He felt that there was something going on which was against
him; and he had a kind of consciousness, like all the rest, that it was
coming to a climax to-day. But he did not know what it was, nor what
danger was impending over him. Perhaps Theo intended to stay longer; to
come to Markland altogether; to interfere with the boy's evenings as he
had done with his mornings. Or perhaps--but when he for a moment asked
himself what he feared, his thoughts all fled away into vague alarms,
infinitesimal in comparison with the reality, which was far too big,
too terrible, for his mind to grasp. Mamma was afraid of it too, he had
thought, this morning. She had looked, as the sky looks sometimes when
the clouds are flying over it, and the wind is high and a storm is
getting up: sometimes her face would be all overcast, and then her eyes
had the look of a shower falling (though she did not shed any tears),
and then there would be a clearing. She was afraid too. It was something
that Theo was going to propose: some change that he wanted to carry out:
and mamma was afraid of it too. This was in one way comforting, but in
another more alarming: for it must be very serious indeed, if she, too,
was afraid.

He roused himself from these uncomfortable thoughts, and began to pull
his books about, and put his exercise upon the desk which Theo used,
when he heard the sound of Theo's arrival; the heavy hoofs of the big
black horse; the voice of Soames in the hall; the quick steady step
coming in. The time had been when Geoff had thrown all his books on the
table, and rushed out to witness the arrival, with an eager "Oh, Theo,
you're five minutes late!" or "Oh, Theo, I haven't done yet!" For some
time, however, he had left off doing this. Things were too serious for
such vanities; he lifted his head and held his breath, listening to the
approaching footstep. A kind of alarm lest it should not be coming here
at all, but straight to Lady Markland's room, made him pale for the
moment. That would be too bad, to come here professedly for Geoff and to
go instead to mamma! it would be just like Theo; but fortunately things
were not quite so bad as that. The steps came straight to Geoff's
door. Warrender entered looking--the boy could not tell how--flushed,
weary-eyed: something as he had seen his father look in the morning
after a late night. Excitement simulates many recollections, and this
was the first thought that lea