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
n 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
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
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 him
e grave, pure passion, pressed out from the
t, he do
n at it. You've got to slog lik
won't, ev
The 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 he
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 the
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
o think you were never going
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
r you'll keep him waiti
here'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
errold, here's t
along the
rriage, leaning out
ge. They looked at each
doors slammed one after ano
"I say, you'll let Col-
was