“Yes, mother, I have considered I have considered it a great deal.”
“And what conclusion have you come to, Henry?” she asked, making pretence to arrange her dress in order to conceal the anxiety with which she awaited his answer.
He rose, and, although it was only half smoked, knocked out the contents of his pipe upon the fire-guard. Then he turned round and spoke suddenly, almost fiercely indeed.
“The conclusion which I have come to, mother, is that, taking everything into consideration, I ought to try my luck yonder. I don’t know that she will have me, indeed I think that she will be foolish if she does, but I’ll ask her. The other has vanished Heaven knows where; I can’t find her, and perhaps it is best that I shouldn’t, for if I did my resolutions might melt. And now, if you don’t mind, let us talk of something else. I will let you know the end of the adventure in due course.”
“One question, Henry. Are you going to Monk’s Lodge again?”
“Yes, on Friday week. I have accepted an invitation to stay there from Friday till Tuesday, or perhaps longer.”
Lady Graves uttered a sigh of the most intense and heart-felt relief. Then she rose, and coming to where her son was sitting, she kissed him upon the forehead, murmuring, “God bless you, my dear boy! you have made me a happier woman than I have been for many a long day. Good night.”
He returned his mother’s embrace, lit a bedroom candle for her, and watched her pass from the room and across the hall. As she went he noticed that her very gait seemed different, so great was the effect of his words upon her. Of late it had been uncertain, almost timid; but now she was walking as she used to walk in middle life, with grace and dignity, holding her head high.
“Poor mother!” he thought to himself as he resumed his seat, “she has had much to bear, and it is a comfort to be able to please her for once. Heaven knows that had I alone been concerned I would have done it long ago for her sake. Oh, Joan, Joan! I wonder where you are, and why your eyes haunt me so continually. Well, wherever you may be, it is all over between us now, Joan.” And he put his hands before his face and groaned aloud.
On the following morning, while Henry was dressing, the butler brought him up his letters, in accordance with the custom of the house. One by one, as the exigencies of his toilet gave him opportunity, he opened them and glanced through their contents. Some were circulars, some were on business connected with the estate, two were invitations to shoot, and one was a bill for saddlery supplied to his brother three years before.