Said Ina, very gravely. "You, who do me the honor to offer me your name, have you asked yourself seriously what has been the nature of my relation with Edward Severne?""No!" cried Vizard, violently; "and I do not mean to. I see you despise him now; and I have my eyes and my senses to guide me in choosing a wife.
I choose you--if you will have me."
She listened, then turned her moist eyes full upon him, and said to him, "This is the greatest honor ever befell me. I cannot take it.""Not take it?"
"No; but that is my misfortune. Do not be mortified. You have no rival in my esteem. What shall I say, my friend?--at least I may call you that. If I explain now, I shall weep much, and lose my strength. What shall I do?
I think--yes, that will be best--_you shall go with me to-day."_"To the end of the world!"
"Something tells me you will know all, and forgive me.""Shall I take my bag?"
"You might take an evening dress and some linen.""Very well. I won't keep you a moment," said he, and went upstairs with great alacrity.
She went into the hall, with her eyes bent on the ground, and was immediately pinned by Rhoda Gale, whose piercing eye, and inquisitive finger on her pulse, soon discovered that she had gone through a trying scene. "This is a bad beginning of an imprudent journey," said she: "Ihave a great mind to countermand the carriage.""No, no," said Ina; "I will sleep in the railway and recover myself."The ladies now got into the carriage; Ashmead insisted on going upon the box; and Vizard soon appeared, and took his seat opposite Miss Gale and Mademoiselle Klosking. The latter whispered her doctress: "It would be wise of me not to speak much at present." La Gale communicated this to Vizard, and they drove along in dead silence. But they were naturally curious to know where they were going; so they held some communication with their eyes. They very soon found they were going to Taddington Station.
Then came a doubt--were they going up or down?
That was soon resolved.
Mr. Ashmead had hired a saloon carriage for them, with couches and conveniences.
They entered it; and Mademoiselle Klosking said to Miss Gale, "It is necessary that I should sleep.""You shall," said Miss Gale.
While she was arranging the pillows and things, La Klosking said to Vizard, "We artists learn to sleep when we have work to do. Without it Ishould not be strong enough this day." She said this in a half-apologetic tone, as one anxious not to give him any shadow of offense.
She was asleep in five minutes; and Miss Gale sat watching her at first, but presently joined Vizard at the other end, and they whispered together. Said she, "What becomes of the theory that women have no strength of will? There is Mademoiselle _Je le veux_ in person. When she wants to sleep, she sleeps; and look at you and me--do you know where we are going?""No."
"No more do I. The motive power is that personification of divine repose there. How beautiful she is with her sweet lips parted, and her white teeth peeping, and her upper and lower lashes wedded, and how graceful!""She is a goddess," said Vizard. "I wish I had never seen her. Mark my words, she will give me the sorest heart of all.""I hope not," said Rhoda, very seriously.
Ina slept sweetly for nearly two hours, and all that time her friends could only guess where they were going.
At last the train stopped, for the sixth time, and Ashmead opened the door.
This worthy, who was entirely in command of the expedition, collected the luggage, including Vizard's bag, and deposited it at the station. He then introduced the party to a pair-horse fly, and mounted the box.
When they stopped at Bagley, Vizard suspected where they were going.
When he saw the direction the carriage took, he knew it, and turned very grave indeed.
He even regretted that he had put himself so blindly under the control of a woman. He cast searching glances at Mademoiselle Klosking to try and discover what on earth she was going to do. But her face was as impenetrable as marble. Still, she never looked less likely to do anything rash or in bad taste. Quietness was the main characteristic of her face, when not rippled over by a ravishing sweetness; but he had never seen her look so great, and lofty, and resolute as she looked now;a little stern, too, as one who had a great duty to do, and was inflexible as iron. When truly feminine features stiffen into marble like this, beauty is indeed imperial, and worthy of epic song; it rises beyond the wing of prose.
My reader is too intelligent not to divine that she was steeling herself to a terrible interview with Zoe Vizard--terrible mainly on account of the anguish she knew she must inflict.
But we can rarely carry out our plans exactly as we trace them--unexpected circumstances derange them or expand them; and I will so far anticipate as to say that in this case a most unexpected turn of events took La Klosking by surprise.
Whether she proved equal to the occasion these pages will show very soon.
