Anne Severn and the Fieldings

ths at Wyck and four months in London with Grandmamma Severn and A

witzerland for three years. Then back to Wyck, a

eir incidents recorded; thick black lines blotted out the other days, as she told t

ing line that made her the dark likeness of her father. Her body was slender but solid; the strong white neck carried her head high with the po

his figure which had pursued him down the pl

-is it

s. Why, didn't

omething smaller and

n-up. I'm the

not little A

her old loving way. "No. But I'm stil

ith my g

your gre

his face, tanned and tightened by sun and wind, the long hard-drawn lin

r the excited child who came rushing to you. He stood for you to come to him, seri

to Col-Col? He'

Robert said, "till

d going to be

'll look a lit

," she said.

thing the same, looking exactly as she had left them

row crooked street with the church and churchyard at the turn; and so into the grey and yellow Market Square with the two tall elms standing up on the little green in the corner. They passed the Queen's Head; the powder-blue s

tle gable underneath in the middle, jutting out over the porch. That was the bay of Aunt Adeline's bed-room

They were things that she had seen again and again in sleep and memory; things that had made her heart ache thinking of them; that took her back and back, and wouldn't let her be. She had only to leav

found th

lue heaped on blue, Aunt Adeline came holding up a tall bunch of flowers, blue on her white gown, blue on her own milk-white and blue. S

e slowly, absent-mindedly, stopping now and then to pluck yet another of the blue spires. Robe

Anne?"

tie, real

e a big girl,

is eyes made you important; they held you all the time he talked to you; when he smiled, it was for you altogether and not for himself at all. H

one with your fa

orry; but he can't come till to-morro

ent over Aunt Adeline's face,

ou should have heard h

r husband's arm and drew him to herself. Someth

t's how people look-" with

feel shut out

ad to be back aga

re else. I've been counting the we

min

In the

the flagged terrace.

Jerrold?"

s no doubt," said Uncle Robert,

the last weeks of his leave. He had followed Adeline from the hot terrace

at the Manor Farm. Eliot wa

ether on the grass under

f they had not got over the "difference," the change of Anne from a child to a big girl, of Jerrold from a big boy to a man's height and a man's voice

d have done, Jerrold,

have known

id k

ering lot of hair yo

Auntie Adeline c

ful

Jerrold, do you

the

hardly believe I'm here. I nev

shouldn

nt me. I'm afraid of being ill or dying before I can get away. And

about it. You

pposing it was

t time. Don't spo

ink if yo

mean they're no

Emily. But they're awfully old and they can't play at anything, ex

to the poor things to say "

e us so awf

es

ad you

were

Adeline and Uncle Robert walked together. The so

g wrong?" she said. "They'

othered ab

li

wanting to

e Adeline

he doesn't like. But it will. They can't keep him off it. He's been doing medicine at Cambridge because they wo

he be a docto

ought to have the estate. And he says he won't have it. He doesn't want it. He says Daddy's g

o t

awfully in his way… It's pretty beastly for me, too. I don't like taking it when I know Daddy wants Eliot to have it. That's to say, he doesn't want; he'd like me t

ever

t if Daddy dies, and I'd

I feel abo

s frightfully healthy, thank Heaven. He'll live to

for me. Grandpapa might die any day. He's seven

before that." He laughed his happy laugh. The idea

nd

again at

oing in for th

way years and years, ne

I shan't ev

ot for five years. Lots of

not seeing each

lly, seeing before her

you come out to India too? I say, that would be

shot," s

ive up your

ve up a

ht. Let's go an

ensely bored by Eliot and his absurd affairs, came down the lawn to look at th

ern came

at absurd boy?" she said. "Why can't Eliot

chief reason may be t

never given me a day's t

ll give trouble to," said

i

ury; first scales, then exercises. Then a pause; and now, his

rescendo, as the passion of the music mounted up and up. And now as

drawing-room was open t

ut there a

ful, isn't h

ot half so wonderful as he ought to be. He'll never

s happ

g it ought to be London. But father can't live there and the mater won't go anywhere without him. So poor Col-Col's got to stick here doing nothing, with the same rotten old masters telling

e grave, pure passion, pressed out from the

t, he do

n at it. You've got to slog lik

won't, ev

e trouble with Colin is that he cares, awfully, for such a lot of other things. Us, for instance. He'll leave off in the middle of a movement if he hear

ern came round the c

his about hat

mean, Eliot

id, "you'll never be any good at anything if

a crime for," said Ann

d do it for anybod

e them happy. I'd steal for them if they we

you would,"

ne would commit

doesn't want us to," said Eliot, shi

aid John. He knew what she was thinking of

n Civil. He'd rob, butcher, lie himself black

for Colin,

nd lie?" Her fa

"Absurd children. Thank goodness they don't any of t

opped suddenly and C

rrold doin

remarked, a pos

t together on the terrace. The others

e is it?"

y past

I'm going to ride with

ht you were going

"Do you want

do you

to, of course I'll st

think you were never going t

s a perfect litt

u do love me a bi

do you

s of the garden chair. She brought her face close down, not kissi

but you'd cut me into little b

nly, straightened he

or you'll keep him wai

ere's Unc

at the

ou might ask that father of

m now. Are you sure

e, you fun

o make up f

on to the terrace. Adel

ern rose

ry turn, to gather more and more of her blue flowers; made him come into the drawing-room and look on while she arranged them exquisitely in the tall Ch

e. Shall we go i

" He sighed a

ing to their communion, heaven only knew what sort of fool he might make of himself. Last time it was only the sudden entrance of Robert that had prevented some s

a dog her hand patted a place on the couch beside he

e. Then suddenly h

rry, but I find I've

Up to

es

e coming b

afrai

a week. I thought you were going to

But I fin

ever

l sorts of thing

pose Robert will say to yo

will und

ore tha

hat I'm going because I mu

orrid of you. I shall

ood enough to sa

my dear … Are you going to

u'd like t

I'd like to

renching one of his le

e thing I m

ask,

for you if you gave her ti

ay seem, I really

let her be

's going t

ow herself away on you w

ed as if I di

ild. Don't use it too much. Let her feelings alone. Don't work on them for the fun of seeing what she'll do nex

how you t

know how

the cruellest things. Is there a

ake don't tease h

t was serious. I assure you Jer

r dears. They don't know what's happening to them. None of us k

of these awful things if you'll te

ared

y. I am going for the

possibly ask

you feel like

. But I knew I wasn't hurting anybody but myself. I kne

ever for

And I understand it. What I can't understand is w

e it hard

mna

ng. But you'l

get over it. Does it lo

ng on for twe

ot all the

early. On

than on,

when it's 'on' now? A

est for yourself, my dear.

saying

-I'm

he would rather he had stayed, following her about, waiting for her, ready to her call, amusing her; but his going was the finer

out, working and playing, at meal-times and bed-time he

medicine (which he would have done in any case), but he was to go to Bart's to work for his doctor's degree when his three years at Cambridge were ended. His father had made a new will, leaving the estate to Jerro

is shoulder he writhed himself away; if his hand blundered against hers he drew it back as if her touch burnt him. More often than not he would go out of the room if she came into it. Yet as long as she was there he co

ing. Suddenly Anne felt his eyes on her. Their look was intent, penetr

ing funny about

y? No

keep on loo

ow I was loo

re always doing it. A

because

ok up so that

it," she said

arled, savagely,

n't help it. There was something about it mysterious and exciting

jutting chin, its fine grave mouth and greenish-brown eyes; mouth and eyes that had once been so kind a

had softened as if he were pleased to find her looking at him. And his eyes were diff

sitting in his chair behind them, at the other end

e said, "have I

now of." His

as if I ha

. As if I cared what you di

ed up and l

in his chair, watching he

ith him?" she said.

mind. He does

m. He's only cross with me;

sn't

hen? I believe

's going through a bad time, that'

He's got everyt

s h

this time his smile was for hi

i

said she supposed now t

agreed with her and they decided that in September Anne should go to the big girls' college in Cheltenham. Gr

the same week, Colin to hi

d Colin was in bed surrounded by hot water bottles. He had tried to follow Jerrold in his big jump across the river

t water bottles," he sai

d Anne. "But I can't get anyt

live with the girls. It'll be perfectly put

u any frien

gers. But even he's pre

woul

Jerrold. He kept on gassing about fighting your own battles an

d not some other rotten hole. Dad and I'll go ove

be at Ca

. And it isn't as i

ery week. I've made them. It'll be a

a piano?" C

let you play on

didn't get his chill, and w

Anne off at

won't you?" he said. "Write

ite ever

was th

t idea of old Rawlings', that I'm ba

have

f you've got to. Colin won't. And he

nd Eliot" (she had forgotten Eliot's sulkiness) "and Uncle

Col-Col'll hav

rold, here's the

along the

rriage, leaning out

ge. They looked at each

doors slammed one after ano

"I say, you'll let Col-

was