Now, please go, and a happy journey to you."

How she wished his acknowledgments and faithful promises were over! He did hint something about refreshment, bread-and-cheese and beer, fare which he used to despise as "decidedly low," but Charlotte was obdurate here, and at last he took his leave. There stood the poor, foolish, generous little thing, raking out the last embers of the kitchen fire, conscious that she had probably done the silliest action of her life, very much ashamed, and afraid of any one knowing it; and yet strangely light of heart, as if she had done something to atone for the past permission that she had granted him to play with her vanity.

"Some day she might tell Tom all about it, and she did not think he would be angry, for he knew what it was to have nowhere to go, and to want to try for one more chance."

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE CRASH.

Late and early at employ; Still on thy golden stores intent; Thy summer in heaping and h.o.a.rding is spent, What thy winter will never enjoy.

SOUTHEY.

"St.i.tch! st.i.tch!" said James Frost, entering the nursery on a fine August evening, and finding his wife with the last beams of sunshine glistening on her black braids of hair, as she sat singing and working beside the cot where slept, all tossed and rosy, the yearling child.

"St.i.tch! st.i.tch! If I could but do needlework!"

"Ah!" said Isabel, playfully, lifting up a sweeter face than had ever been admired in Miss Conway, "if you will make your kittens such little romps, what would you have but mending?"

"Is it my fault? I am very sorry I entailed such a business on you.

You were at that frock when I went to evening prayers at the Union, and it is not mended yet."

"Almost; and see what a perfect performance it is, all the spots joining as if they had never been rent. I never was so proud of anything as of my mending capabilities. Besides, I have not been doing it all the time: this naughty little f.a.n.n.y was in such a laughing mood, that she would neither sleep herself nor let the rest do so; and Kitty rose up out of her crib, and lectured us all. Now, don"t wake them--no, you must not even kiss the twin cherries; for if they have one of papa"s riots, they will hardly sleep all night."

"Then you must take me away; it is like going into a flower-garden, and being told not to gather."

"Charlotte is almost ready to come to them, and in the meantime here is something for you to criticise," said she, taking from the recess of her matronly workbasket a paper with a pencilled poem, on the Martyrs of Carthage, far more terse and expressive than anything she used to write when composition was the object of the day. James read and commented, and was disappointed when they broke off short-- "Ah! there baby woke."

"Some day I shall give you a subject. Do you know how Sta. Francesca Romana found in letters of gold the verse of the Psalm she had been reading, and from which she had been five times called away to attend to her household duties?"

"I thought you were never to pity me again--"

"Do you call that pitying you?"

"Worse," said Isabel, smiling.

"Well, then, what I came for was to ask if you can put on your bonnet, and take a walk in the lanes this lovely evening."

A walk was a rare treat to the busy mother, and, with a look of delight, she consented to leave her mending and her children to Charlotte. There seldom were two happier beings than that pair, as they wandered slowly, arm-in-arm, in the deep green lanes, in the summer twilight, talking sometimes of the present, sometimes of the future, but with the desultory, vague speculation of those who feared little because they knew how little there was to fear.

"It is well they are all girls," said James, speaking of that constant topic, the children; "we can manage their education pretty well, I flatter myself, by the help of poor Clara"s finishing governess, as Louis used to call you."

"If the edge of my attainments be not quite rusted off. Meantime, you teach Kitty, and I teach nothing."

"You don"t lose your singing. Your voice never used to be so sweet."

"It keeps the children good. But you should have seen Kitty chaunting "Edwin and Angelina" to the twins this morning, and getting up an imitation of crying at "turn Angelina, ever dear," because, she said, Charlotte always did."

"That is worth writing to tell Fitzjocelyn! It will be a great disappointment if they have to stay abroad all this winter; but he seems to think it the only chance of his father getting thoroughly well, so I suppose there is little hope of him. I should like for him to see Kitty as she is now, she is so excessively droll!"

"Yes; and it must be a great deprivation to have to leave all his farm to itself, just as it is looking so well; only he makes himself happy with whatever he is doing."

"How he would enjoy this evening! I never saw more perfect rest!"

"Yes;--the sounds of the town come through the air in a hush! and the very star seems to twinkle quietly!"

They stood still without speaking to enjoy that sense of stillness and refreshment, looking up through the chestnut boughs that overshadowed the deep dewy lane, where there was not air enough even to waft down the detached petals of the wild rose.

"Such moments as these must be meant to help one on," said James, "to hinder daily life from running into drudgery."

"And it is so delightful to have a holiday given, now and then, instead of having a life all holiday. Ah! there"s a glow-worm--look at the wonder of that green lamp!"

"I must show it to Kitty," said James, taking it up on a cushion of moss.

"Her acquaintance will begin earlier than mine. Do you remember showing me my first glow-worm at Beauchastel? I used to think that the gem of my walks, before I knew better. It is a great treat to have poor Walter here in the holidays, so good and pleasant; but I must say one charm is the pleasure of being alone together afterwards."

"A pleasure it is well you do not get tired of, my dear, and I am afraid it will soon be over for the present. I do believe that is Richardson behind us! An attorney among the glow-worms is more than I expected."

"Good evening, sir," said the attorney, coming up with them; "is Mrs.

Frost braving the dew?" And then, after some moments, "Have you heard from your sister lately, Mr. Frost?"

"About three weeks ago."

"She did not mention then," said Mr. Richardson, hesitating, "Mr.

Dynevor"s health?"

"No! Have you heard anything?"

"I thought you might wish to be aware of what I learnt from, I fear, too good authority. It appears that Mr. Dynevor paid only a part of the purchase-money of the estate, giving security for the rest on his property in Peru; and now, owing to the failure of the Equatorial Steam Navigation Company, Mr. Dynevor is, I fear, actually insolvent."

"Did you say he was ill?"

"I heard mentioned severe illness--paralytic affection; but as you have not heard from Miss Clara, I hope it may be of no importance."

After a few more inquiries, and additional information being elicited, good-nights were exchanged, and Mr. Richardson pa.s.sed on. At first neither spoke, till Isabel said--

"And Clara never wrote!"

"She would identify herself too much with her uncle in his misfortune.

Poor dear child! what may she not be undergoing!"

"You will go to her?"

"I must. Whether my uncle will forgive me or not, to Clara I must go.

Shall I write first?"

"Oh! no; it will only make a delay, and your uncle might say "don"t come.""