She looked at him quickly, to see what effect her words produced. Apparently they produced none. The clergymans face remained as coldly impassive as before; he raised his brows slightly as he replied.
“Indeed! I did not see you there.” Then, after a pause, he added, “Your return was very sudden, was it not? I thought you intended staying away for some time.”
“I changed my mind. I thought you would have been glad to have me back again.”
Then, swept on by a wild impulse, which she could not possibly restrain, she added slowly, but tremulously—
“Charles, are you sorry I have come?”
The clergyman started, flushed, then quickly recovered himself, as he added—
“Sorry, my dear Edith? What a question! Why of course I am not sorry.”
“Then, why not say that you are glad? Why not let me know it? Don’t you see you are breaking my heart?”
Santley paused, and looked at her. He did not flush this time, his face grew white as marble, his eyes quite steel-like in their coldness. He had dreaded a scene, but this was so very much worse than he had expected; for by this time Edith had lost all self-control, and was sobbing violently. His face hardened terribly. He must put an end once and for ever to such unpleasant encounters.
“Edith, have you lost your senses?” he said; and the bitterness of his tone was like putting a knife into the girl’s heart. “If you wish to perform in such scenes as this, you could surely find some other time and place than the public road and the broad daylight. If you have anything to say to me, you must come to me again in private. At present I have no more time which I can place at your service. I have business with Mrs. Haldane, who is waiting for me at the Vicarage; and my duties at the church will soon begin again.”