Marian saw the trembling of his lips.
Thus they reached the house, and Lionel dashed forward In his own headlong way before them, to announce Walter's coming. Then Walter looked at Marian, saying, 'Then it is not so bad yet?'
'O no, it is only that he cannot see anything distinctly; he cannot bear not to be independent.'
They were entering the hall by this time, and his mother and sisters had come out to meet Walter, Caroline very white and trembling, and holding by the back of a chair instead of coming forward; Mrs. Lyddell kissed him, and seemed more affectionate than usual, for it had been a great pleasure to her to see Lionel rush in with that animated face, and a shout such as he used to get into disgrace for.
Nothing came to pass that evening, there were no private conferences, and there was nothing remarkable, excepting that Lionel was quite merry and talkative, and Caroline more silent than ever, seeming hardly to attend even when Walter was sitting between her and Clara, talking to Marian and Lionel about the beautiful arrangements of Church and school in his new curacy. At night she was in such a terrible agitation, walking up and down the rooms so restless and wretched that Marian, seriously afraid she would be quite ill the next day, persuaded her with great difficulty, to go to bed, and did not leave her till very late at night, when she had read her to sleep.
It was a, great relief to find her pretty well in the morning, at least with nothing worse than a headache. She and Walter both disappeared after breakfast, and did not come down till luncheon time, when she looked so ill that Mrs. Lyddell was alarmed and insisted on her lying down and keeping quiet. Then Mrs. Lyddell said that Walter ought to go and call on Lady Julia Faulkner, and offered to take him there. Marian looked at him by stealth, and could have gasped for breath, for by what he did now, she thought she could see what line he would take.
'Thank you,' he said, or rather hesitated, 'but don't let me interrupt your plans. I thought I heard something about--about. Salisbury. I have something to do there.'
'The girls did talk of wanting to go,' said Mrs. Lyddell. 'Did not you, Marian or Clara, which was it?'
'My watch wants to have something done to it,' put in Lionel, whose father had given him a repeater, which of course began its career by doing anything but going properly.
'Well, perhaps it will he as well to go to Salisbury to-day, as Caroline has this headache. She never likes going there, and she may be able to go with us to High Down to-morrow.'
So it was settled, and they left the luncheon table. Marian happened to be the last lady, and whether it was fancy or not she was not sure, but she thought she heard on Walter's lips, a self-reproachful whisper of 'Coward.'
The expedition to Salisbury, in which Marian was obliged to take part, prevented her from seeing anything of Caroline till the evening, and then as soon as Clara was out of the way Caroline rose up, caught hold of her hand, and exclaimed, 'O, Marian, what have you made me do?' then walked about in a paroxysm of distress, almost terrible to witness.
'Caroline, dearest, O don't!' cried Marian quite frightened; 'do try to be calm! O what is it?'
'O it will all be misery!' said Caroline, sitting down and clasping her hands over her face, 'I little knew what it would be when you made me write to Walter. He says it would be wickedness--yes, those were his words--he called it wickedness in me to go on with it, as I feel now!'
'And you mean to--'
'I cannot tell--I don't know--he must do as he pleases; O it will make me wild! He must do as he pleases, for I must be wretched either way,'
'Dear Caroline--but O! how much better to be unhappy for the sake of doing right than when--'
'Yes, yes--so he said--but O! the horror. It kills me even to think of what it will be! O, Marian, Marian--'
