A Dark Night's Work

he had given her his word that he would make no further inquiries from her. Indeed, he thought he could well enough make out the outline of past events; still, there was too much left to conj

d it; and had received assurances which she was only too glad to believe fondly with all the tender faith of her heart. Whatever came to pass, Ralph's love would still be hers; nor was he unwarned of what might come to pass in some dread future day. So she shut her eyes to what might be in store for her (and, after all, the chances were immeasurably in her favour); and she bent herself with her whole strength into enjoying

s assent to some of them. He gave many reasons why this unlooked-for departure of his was absolutely necessary; but no one doubted it. He need not have alleged such reiterated excuses. The truth was, he was restrained and uncomfortable at Ford Bank ever since Ellinor's confidence. He could not rightly calculate on the most desirable course for his own interests, while his love

unexpected questions, was anything but agreeable. It was only Ellinor that clung to his presence-clung as though some shadow of what might happen before they met again had fallen on her spirit. As soon as he had left the house she flew up to a spare bedroom window, to watch for the last glimpse of the fly which was taking him into the town. And th

f Dante for a distraction to Ellinor. The girl went meekly, if reluctantly, to the ta

e, who had heard the opinions of the female part of the family on this head, began, in his honest blustering way, in their tête-à-têtes after dinner, to hope that Ralph was thinking better than to run his head into that confounded Hamley attorney's noose, Ralph gravely required Mr. Corbet to explain his meaning, which he professed not to understan

his was the idea in his mi

high above local gossip, and thus unaware of his engagement, he learnt the popular opinion respecting his future father-in-law; an opinion not entirely respectful, though intermingled with a good deal of personal liking. "Poor Wilkins," as they called him, "was sadly extravagant for a man in his position; had no right to

f their tastes were in common. Ralph took a great interest in the manner of working out political questions; in the balance and state of parties; and had the right appreciation of the exact qualities on which the minister piqued himself. In return, the latter was always on the look-out for promising young men, who, ei

quite finished the dirtier part of his morning's work, and he came to the glass-door in his striped cotton jacket, a little soiled, and rolling up his working apron. Ellinor was not yet strong enough to get up and go out and gather flowers for the rooms, so those left from yesterday were rather faded; in short, the contrast from entire completeness and exquisite freshness of arrangement struck forcibly upon Ralph's perceptions, which were critical r

in his chase after power, it did not do for him to shrink from seeing and facing the incompleteness

lace at the right time, so that the want of it shall never impede for an instant the feast of wit or reason; while, if he went to the houses of his friends, men of the same college and standing as himself, who had been seduced into early marriages, he was uncomfortably aware of numerous inconsistencies and hitches in their ménages. Besides, the idea of

ality, he was beginning to find absence from his betrothed something of a relief. Yet the wranglings and folly of his home,

ured to make all as perfect as she could before his return. But she had much to struggle against. For the first time in her life there was a great want of ready money; she could scarcely obtai

l secret which was the cause of this estrangement, were the reasons why Ellinor never recovered her pretty youthful bloom after her illness. Of course it was to this th

antom, or reduce its terror to what she believed to be the due proportion. But her father was evidently determined to show that he was never more to be spoken to on that subject; and all she could do was to follow his lead on the rare occasions that they fell into something like the old confidential intercourse. As yet, to her, he had never given way to anger; but before her he had often spoken in a manner which both pained and terrified her. Sometimes his eye in the midst of his passion caught on her face of affright and dismay, and then he would stop, and make such an effort to control himself as sometimes ended in tears. Ellinor did not understand that both these phases were owing to his increasing habit of drinking more th

ts; but their silence was based on different feelings from that which separated Ellinor from her father. Ellinor and Dixon could not

ery over him. What was to be gained by keeping to his engagement with Ellinor? He should have a delicate wife to look after, and even more than the common additional expenses of married life. He should have a father-in-law whose character at best had had only a local and provincial respectability, which it was now daily losing by habits which were both sensual and vulgarising; a man, too, who was strangely changing from joyous geniality into moody surliness. Besides, he doubted if, in the evident change in the prosperity of the family, the fortune to be paid down on the occasion of his marriage to Ellinor could be forthcoming. And above all, and around all, there hovered the shadow of some unrevealed disgrace, which might come to light at any time and involve him in it. He thought he had pretty well ascertained the nature of this possible shame, and had little doubt it would turn out to be that Dunster's disappearance, to America or elsewhere, had been an arranged plan with Mr. Wilkins. Although Mr. Ralph Corbet was capable of suspecting hi

ether, if he could have had intellectual conversation of some high order, to having the greatest dainties with the knowledge of the care required in their preparation thus coarsely discussed before him. By the time such breakfasts were finished, Ellinor looked thirty, and her spirits were gone for the day. It had become difficult for Ralph to contract his mind to her small domestic interests, and she had little else to talk to him about, now that he responded but curtly to all her questions about himself, and was weary of professing a love which he was ceasing to feel, in all the

but she was too openly anxious about the headache of which her father complained to have been at all aware of the previous self-indulgence which must have brought it on. This very afternoon, as ill-luck would have it, the Duke of Hinton and a gentleman whom Ralph had met in town at Lord Bolton's rode by, and recognised him; saw Ralph supporting a tipsy man with such quiet friendly interest as must show all pa

mself from the miserable relation in which he had placed himself by giving way to impulse. Almost befor

's rest before dinner," said she.

nerve himself up to be disagreeable, but findin

ersation last autumn, Ell

a garden-seat, and she quiet

en fancied hung over you?" No ans

ispered, with

her knows thi

the same tone;

im harm," at length Ra

is," she said,

," he said, a little impatiently. "I

t want help; all that is past. But I wanted to know if you thought that a person situated as I was,

l it right to marry. Why don't you tell me straight out what it is?" He could not help his irritation betraying itself in his tones and manner of speaking. She bent a little forward, a

your illness must have made you fanciful, Ellinor. Surely nothing I said deserves such an interpretation. On the cont

f his mother's opposition had only made him the more determined to have his own way in the first instance; and even now he

ing. Then she put her hand into his. "I quite trust you, Ralph. I

ght that had overshadowed his mind when she had looked so intently at him. But he cares

p to see how her father was. When Ralph went into his own room he was vexed with himself, bot

ar direction. As long as Ellinor and Miss Monro stayed in the dining-room, a sort of moody peace had been kept up, the ladies talking incessantly to each other about the trivial not

. Wilkins went to the sideboard, and took out a bo

he poured out a wine-glassful. "It's a capital thing for the headache;

wanted particularly to speak to you ab

clear-headed as any man,

a little co

marriage in August. Ellinor is so much better now; in fact, so strong, that I

m rather blankly, but di

ou advance a certain portion of Ellinor's fortune for the purposes therein to be

they had lately made; and he unwisely tried to obtain a diminution in the sum he had originally proposed to give Ellinor. "Unwisely," because he might have read Ralph's character better than to suppose he would easily consent to any diminution without good

That promise was made before-before I

" said Mr. Corbet, fixing his steady, pen

bled out Mr. Wilkins, red and confu

ding disgrace from his companion, in the state in which he then was; and if he only knew more about this danger he could guard against

n Mr. Wilkins which his question produced. Both started up; Mr. Wilkins white,

ter?" said Ralph, alarmed at th

d repelled his nearer ap

t times. Don't look at me, sir, in that way. It is very unpl

interrupted by bodily or mental discomfort on the part of his companion he was not quite sure. While he hesitated how to begin again on the subject, Mr. Wilkins pulled the bottle of brandy to himself and filled his glass again, tos

the most natural air in the world, just as if he had reall

old your tongue about," growled out

feet with real passion at being so

before, and I was not minded and bad came of it; and now I say it again. And if you're to come here and put impertinen

then he "gave Ellinor another chance," as he worded it in his

don't know what you're saying. If you did, I sh

o talk and look as you have done to-night, why, sir, I will ring the bell and have you shown the door by my servants. So now you're warne

not think we should have been happy. I believe our engagement was formed when we were too young to know our own minds, but I would have done my duty and kept to my word; but you, sir, have yourself severed the connection between us by your insolence to-ni

then he got up and went to the door, opened it, looked into the fully-lighted hall; all was so quiet there that he could hear the quiet voice

e that Mr. Corbet had come to any enduring or final resolution to break off his engagement, and he had almost reasoned hims

three lines sent by Mr. Ness's servant, who had come to fetch Mr. Corbet's things. He had written three lines with some consideration for Ellinor, even when he was in his first flush of anger agai

never to return to it. I will write more fully to-morrow. But do not grieve too much, for I am not, and never

hands together, as her father sat silent, vacant

world, I think. Everything goes wrong with me and mine: it wen

eeling down by him, her

other hand on her head, with the caressing gesture he had been accustomed to use when she had been a little child. "Did you love him so very dearly, Nelly?" he whispered, his cheek against her: "for

m afraid. I said something lon

, half in fear, half in fierceness, of an animal at bay; he did not heed

linor! Y

d it, as if it were a possible case, of some one else-last August-but he immediately applied it, and as

f the scent. God help me, I am a

face. Every one stabbed at that poor heart

ted her up, and sat down, taking her on his knee, and smoothing her hair off her hot forehead. "Remember, child,

raising her head, and looking

y and forget," said he,

sting into tears-"how very miserable! It seems

or it so often. Poor Lettice, how glad I am that you are dead!" Here he began to cry like a child. Ellinor comforted him with kisses rather than w

deed, papa, but what

again-the

id, 'Was it right for a woman to marry, knowing that disgrac

all, you

y applied the case

now what was the nature o

, he

ou tol

again to-day, in the shrubbery; but I told him no

he note up again, and read it with as much care and atte

enough for thee. He shrinks from the thought of the disgrac

er thoughts to the necessity of getting her father immediately up to bed. She sat by him till he went to sleep, and