He had many occupations in which he needed no companionship, even if she had been qualified to give it.The worst was, that she found he was in the habit of occupying the library, her favourite retreat, in the mornings before Mrs Hamley came down.She opened the half-closed door a day or two after his return home, and found him busy among books and papers, with which the large leather-covered table was strewn; and she softly withdrew before he could turn his head and see her, so as to distinguish her from one of the housemaids.He rode out every day, sometimes with his father about the outlying fields, sometimes far away for a good gallop.Molly would have enjoyed accompanying him on these occasions, for she was very fond of riding; and there had been some talk of sending for her habit and grey pony when first she came to Hamley; only the squire, after some consideration, had said he so rarely did more than go slowly from one field to another, where his labourers were at work, that he feared she would find such slow work - ten minutes riding through heavy land, twenty minutes sitting still on horseback, listening to the directions he should have to give to his men - rather dull.Now, when if she had had her pony here she might have ridden out with Roger, without giving him any trouble - she would have taken care of that - nobody seemed to think of renewing the proposal.Altogether it was pleasanter before he came home.Her father came over pretty frequently; sometimes there were long unaccountable absences, it was true; when his daughter began to fidget after him, and to wonder what had become of him.But when he made his appearance he had always good reasons to give; and the right she felt that she had to his familiar household tenderness; the power she possessed of fully understanding the exact value of both his words and his silence, made these glimpses of intercourse with him inexpressibly charming.Latterly her burden had always been, 'When may I come home, papa?' It was not that she was unhappy, or uncomfortable; she was passionately fond of Mrs Hamley, she was a favourite of the squire's, and could not as Yet fully understand why some people were so much afraid of him; and as for Roger, if he did not add to her pleasure, he scarcely took away from it.But she wanted to be at home once more.The reason why she could not tell; but this she knew full well.Mr Gibson reasoned with her till she was weary of being completely convinced that it was right and necessary for her to stay where she was.And then with an effort she stopped the cry upon her tongue, for she saw that its repetition harassed her father.During this absence of hers Mr Gibson was drifting into matrimony.He was partly aware of whither he was going; and partly it was like the soft floating movement of a dream.He was more passive than active in the affair; though, if his reason had not fully approved of the step he was tending to - if he had not believed that a second marriage was the very best way of cutting the Gordian knot of domestic difficulties, he could have made an effort without any great trouble to himself, and extricated himself without pain from the mesh of circumstances.It happened in this manner: - Lady Cumnor having married her two eldest daughters , found her labours as a chaperone to Lady Harriet, the youngest, considerably lightened by co-operation; and, at length, she had leisure to be an invalid.
She was, however, too energetic to allow herself this indulgence constantly;only she permitted herself to break down occasionally after a long course of dinners, late hours, and London atmosphere: and then, leaving Lady Harriet with either Lady Cuxhaven or Lady Agnes Manners, she betook herself to the comparative quiet of the Towers, where she found occupation in doing her benevolence, which was sadly neglected in the hurly-burly of London.
This particular summer she had broken down earlier than usual, and longed for the repose of the country.She believed that her state of health, too, was more serious than previously; but she did not say a word of this to her husband or daughters ; reserving her confidence for Mr Gibson's cars.She did not wish to take Lady Harriet away from the gaieties of town which she was thoroughly enjoying, by any complaint of hers, which might, after all, be ill-founded; and yet she did not quite like being without a companion in the three weeks or a month that might intervene before her family would join her at the Towers, especially as the annual festivity to the school visitors was impending; and both the school and the visit of the ladies connected with it, had rather lost the zest of novelty.'Thursday, the 19th, Harriet,' said Lady Cumnor meditatively; 'what do you say to coming down to the Towers on the 18th, and helping me over that long day; you could stay in the country till Monday, and have a few days'
