Architects -- Fiction; Castles -- Conservation and restoration -- Fiction; Love stories; Wessex (England) -- Fiction
He accordingly sat on the next stile, and taking out his pocket-book
began a pencil sketch of Dare’s head, to show to Mr. Haze in the
evening; for if Dare had indeed found admission with Havill, or as his
agent, the design was lost.
But he could not make a drawing that was a satisfactory likeness. Then
he luckily remembered that Dare, in the intense warmth of admiration he
had affected for Somerset on the first day or two of their acquaintance,
had begged for his photograph, and in return for it had left one
of himself on the mantelpiece, taken as he said by his own process.
Somerset resolved to show this production to Mr. Haze, as being more
to the purpose than a sketch, and instead of finishing the latter,
proceeded on his way.
He entered the old overgrown drive which wound indirectly through the
wood to Markton. The road, having been laid out for idling rather than
for progress, bent sharply hither and thither among the fissured
trunks and layers of horny leaves which lay there all the year round,
interspersed with cushions of vivid green moss that formed oases in the
rust-red expanse.
Reaching a point where the road made one of its bends between two large
beeches, a man and woman revealed themselves at a few yards’ distance,
walking slowly towards him. In the short and quaint lady he recognized
Charlotte De Stancy, whom he remembered not to have seen for several
days.
She slightly blushed and said, ‘O, this is pleasant, Mr. Somerset!
Let me present my brother to you, Captain De Stancy of the Royal Horse
Artillery.’
Her brother came forward and shook hands heartily with Somerset; and
they all three rambled on together, talking of the season, the place,
the fishing, the shooting, and whatever else came uppermost in their
minds.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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