“Then indeed she is wrong!” cried Clifford, hotly. “Nobody is more angry than I am about it. And you will believe me when I tell you that I have come down to-day on purpose to ask Nell, and for the second time, to be my wife.”
The old gentleman listened with vivid interest.
“Come back with me; do come inside the house with me for one minute,” he said, with as much excitement as the young man himself had shown. “Theodora will be ready to embrace you when she hears.”
But Clifford, who was in no hurry to be embraced by Theodora, excused himself. He had so little time, he said; he was afraid he should hardly be able to get back to Courtstairs before dark.
“Tell Miss Theodora,” said he, “that I am very grateful to her for believing in my darling girl. I call her mine, although she won’t give me the right to do so. But I haven’t given up hope, and I shall not do so, even if she refuses me again.”
Still it was with very little confidence in his immediate chances of success that Clifford, after taking leave of the colonel, walked briskly on to the little inn. He had written to Nell three or four times, without receiving a single line in answer. She had not returned his letters; she must have received and had probably read them. If there was anything to hope for in that fact, he might hug the thought to his heart; but, considering the terms in which he had written, the warmth with which he had begged her to let him come down and see her, there was very little encouragement in that.
He was luckier than he had ventured to expect. For as he came over the little bridge which spanned the river, he saw Nell herself approaching the house from the opposite direction. She had her prayer-book in her hand, and was evidently returning from Stroan, where she had been to church.
She saw him as soon as he saw her, stopped, turned pale, and ran a few steps to the left, evidently with the hope of escaping into the fields behind a group of cottages which stood between her and the inn. But Clifford was too quick for her. She saw by the pace by which he approached that it was useless to try to avoid him, so she gave up the attempt, and came steadily on with her eyes on the ground.
“Miss Claris! Nell!” said he, in a low voice, as he came up to her.
She raised her eyes to his face for a moment only, and he saw that a great change had taken place in the girl since he had last seen her. There was in her face a sullen expression, as different as possible from the child-like openness of face and manner which had seemed to him her greatest charm. And his heart smote him as he thought that this change had been brought about, though unintentionally indeed, by him.