"It is kept, Sir."
"And the future may shift for itself. Humph! Well, I suppose you are glad enough to be rid of her! I remember you found her in the way four years ago. So, fancying she would still be more inconvenient as she grew up, I thought I would relieve you from her altogether."
He spoke with ironical politeness. Cornelius gave him a defiant look— which Mr. Thornton received with evident amusement—then he turned to me, glanced at me significantly, pressed my hand, bade me a quiet adieu, bowed haughtily to my grandfather, and was gone. I felt confident that this parting was but to lead to a pleasanter reunion, and yet life is so uncertain—its unhappy chances so often outweigh the more fortunate, that I grew sad, spite of all my confident hopes.
"Humph!" said Mr. Thornton, looking at me from under his shaggy eyebrows.
"Don't you want to go up to your room?" he added, abruptly.
"I should like it," I replied, not much pleased with his manner.
He rang. A tall, straight housemaid appeared.
"Marks!" said Mr. Thornton, briefly.
"Please, Sir!"
"Mrs. Marks, you fool! Well, why do you stare?"
"I want to know what about Mrs. Marks, Sir."